A transgender graduate instructor at the University of Oklahoma was abruptly fired after failing a conservative student’s Bible-inspired essay on gender stereotypes — sparking heated debate across campus.
Samantha Fulnecky, a 20-year-old college junior, stirred controversy in late November with a bold, faith-driven essay challenging the liberal view of multiple genders — even though she skipped formally citing the Bible.
In late November, 20-year-old Samantha Fulnecky got a failing grade—for an essay she wrote straight from her Bible. Turning Point USA/X
Oklahoma University announced Monday that Mel Curth, a graduate student and the psychology instructor who goes by "she/they," has been officially removed from her position following a firestorm of backlash and an investigation into Samantha Fulnecky’s claims of religious discrimination.
“Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant’s own statements related to this matter, it was determined that the graduate teaching assistant was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper. The graduate teaching assistant will no longer have instructional duties at the university,” the school wrote in a statement.
Curth was initially placed on leave after Fulnecky’s essay went viral, and by early December, the university had already decided that the failing grade would not affect Fulnecky’s final mark in the course.
The assignment challenged students to write a 650-word response to an academic article exploring whether sticking to gender norms made middle schoolers more popular—or more likely to bully others.
Fulnecky’s graduate student instructor, Mel Curth, was initially placed on leave “for the remainder of the semester.” University of Oklahoma/X
In her essay, Fulnecky writes that she doesn’t believe there are more than two genders, explaining, "That is how God made us."
“Society pushing the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be whatever they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth,” Fulnecky wrote.
“I live my life based on this truth and firmly believe that there would be less gender issues and insecurities in children if they were raised knowing that they do not belong to themselves, but they belong to the Lord,” she added.
In her feedback, Curth admitted that she had overlooked the assignment prompt and leaned more on "personal ideology" than on "empirical evidence."
She also noted that some of Fulnecky’s claims were "at times offensive."
Oklahoma University announced Monday that Curth was permanently removed from her position in December. Getty Images
"To call an entire group of people ‘demonic’ is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population," Curth wrote, adding that Fulnecky’s essay was riddled with contradictions.
“You can say that strict gender norms don’t create gender stereotypes, but that isn’t true by definition of what a stereotype is. Please note that acknowledging gender stereotypes does not immediately denote a negative connotation, a nuance this article discusses,” she added.
Ryan Walters, the conservative Oklahoma state schools superintendent who stepped down in September, hailed Fulnecky as "an American hero" for standing up against what he called "the war on Christianity."
Oklahoma state Rep. Gabe Woolley (R–98th District) also honored Fulnecky with a "citation of recognition" from his office.
"This was the right decision," Woolley wrote in a scathing response to Curth’s removal. "As I said from the beginning, this individual should never have been employed at a public university — particularly in a human sciences role — when he rejects the fundamental biological reality that there are two genders."
