A Christian pre-med student at the University of Oklahoma has gained national attention after filing a religious discrimination complaint, alleging that a trans-identified teaching assistant failed her assignment because she described gender ideology as “demonic.”
Samantha Fulnecky, a junior majoring in psychology, received a score of zero out of 25 on a 650-word opinion essay assigned in her “Lifespan Development” class. The paper was a response to an article discussing societal expectations surrounding gender, according to The Oklahoman.
A copy of her essay published by the outlet shows Fulnecky arguing that God created two distinct genders with different roles, and that attempts to change one’s gender is a satanic assault against that design.
She wrote, “I strongly disagree with the idea from the article that encouraging acceptance of diverse gender expressions could improve students' confidence. Society pushing the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be what they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth.”
The graduate teaching assistant who graded the assignment, William “Mel” Curth, who uses “she/they” pronouns, reportedly objected strongly to the language used in the essay, particularly the word “demonic.” Curth wrote in the online grading portal, “To call an entire group of people 'demonic' is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population.”
Curth added that the deduction was based on academic criteria rather than beliefs, writing, “Please note that I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs, but instead I am deducting point [sic] for you posting a reaction paper that does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive.”
After receiving the grade, Fulnecky filed a religious discrimination complaint with the university. Her story spread rapidly online, drawing commentary from political figures, including Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
He stated he had intervened to defend academic freedom, writing on X, “The [First] Amendment is foundational to our freedom [and] inseparable from a well rounded education. The situation at OU is deeply concerning. I'm calling on the OU regents to review the results of the investigation [and] ensure other students aren't unfairly penalized for their beliefs.”
The University of Oklahoma responded with a statement on Sunday, confirming that it had launched an investigation. “The University of Oklahoma takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms,” officials said.
The statement continued, “Upon receiving notice from the student on the grading of an assignment, the University immediately began a full review of the situation and has acted swiftly to address the matter.”
According to the university, the formal grade appeals process “resulted in steps to ensure no academic harm to the student from the graded assignments,” and Curth has since been placed on administrative leave. The teaching assistant has been replaced with a full-time professor while the investigation proceeds.
