Near the end of the semester, Samantha Fulnecky received a zero on an essay she wrote in Social Psychology. Samantha, a Junior on a pre-med track, goes to the University of Oklahoma. While writing one of her final essays in Psychology, she claims to have received an unfair grade on her assignment, and explained that she felt penalized for her religious beliefs.
Graduate Assistant Mel Curth assigned her students to write a 650-word essay on whether or not conformity with gender norms was associated with bullying or popularity among middle school students. The rubric consisted of three components, which included the questions: Does the paper show a clear tie-in to the assigned article? (10 points) Does the paper present a thoughtful reaction or response to the article rather than a summary? (10 points) Is the paper clearly written? (5 points) Students were also given two possible approaches to the article that consisted of if they believe the topic is important and worthy of study, or an application of the study to their own experiences.
In her essay, Samantha wrote about how she doesn’t see teasing as a problem when it comes to enforcing gender norms. She explains how God intentionally created male and female, and each gender has its own purpose. A little bit later in the paper, she explains how frustrated she gets when people try to conform to the same opinion, claiming that there can be more than two genders. Fulnecky wrote, “It is frustrating to me when I read articles like this and discussion posts from my classmates of so many people trying to conform to the same mundane opinion, so they do not step on people’s toes. I think that is a cowardly and insincere way to live.” Additionally, 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 whatever they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth. I do not want kids to be teased or bullied in school. However, pushing the lie that everyone has their own truth and everyone can do whatever they want and be whoever they want is not biblical whatsoever.”
As Graduate Assistant Mel Curth began grading the essay, she claimed that Samantha’s essay did not answer the questions for the assignment, it contradicted itself, it only relied on beliefs and not empirical evidence, and it was oftentimes offensive. She later explained that she wasn’t deducting points based on Fulnecky’s certain beliefs, but she deducted points because it didn’t seem to fit the rubric. Curth even had another instructor review Fulnecky’s essay, and this instructor agreed with the grade that was given. The second instructor stated that it didn’t meet the requirements given; therefore, it is not considered complete and deserves a zero.
After receiving a zero on her essay, Samantha filed a claim of religious discrimination based on her Christian faith. This was then amplified by Turning Point USA, who posted a complaint on social media claiming that they stand with Samantha and mentally ill professors should not be able to be around students. This post got over 40 million views in one week and has sparked controversy over whether or not Fulnecky deserved the zero she was given.
While all of this was going on, Graduate Assistant Curth was put on administrative leave by the University. Curth was officially fired December 22, 2025, and this essay became exempt from Fulnecky’s final grade.
Works Cited
Kliewer, Addison. “OU essay sparks religious discrimination debate: What we know.” KOCO, 5 December 2025, https://www.koco.com/article/samantha-fulnecky-oklahoma-ou-student-essay-bible-grade-professor-religious-discrimination/69634277. Accessed 30 December 2025.
“Oklahoma instructor removed from teaching for failing a Bible-based gender essay.” CNN, 24 December 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/24/us/oklahoma-university-bible-essay-hnk. Accessed 30 December 2025.
“OU student says Bible reference in assignment led to zero; See full essay.” News9.com, 3 December 2025, https://www.news9.com/oklahoma-city-news/ou-essay-bible-instructor-on-leave. Accessed 30 December 2025.
“University of Oklahoma instructor on leave after failing Bible-based essay asserting belief in multiple genders is “demonic.”” CBS News, 4 December 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/university-oklahoma-instructor-on-leave-failing-bible-essay-multiple-genders/. Accessed 30 December 2025.
“University of Oklahoma, OK – Gender Essay.” Freedom From Religion Foundation, 3 December 2025, https://ffrf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/University-of-Oklahoma-OK-Gender-Essay.pdf. Accessed 30 December 2025.
