Trans Instructor Fired For Failing Student's Bible-Based Gender Essay

The University of Oklahoma announced the firing of a transgender graduate instructor after she failed a student who then claimed to be the victim of "illegal religious discrimination."

Mel Curth, who uses "she/they" pronouns, was officially removed her position following an investigation that stemmed from Samantha Fulnecky, 20, claiming she received a failing grade for a Bible-based essay response to an article on gender stereotypes. Curtin was initially placed on leave after Fulnecky's essay went viral online and the University of Oklahoma had already ruled that the change wound't impact her final grade for the fall semester.

"A student's claim of religious discrimination on an individual assignment in an online Psychology Course taught by a graduate teaching assistant has come to resolution," the University of Oklahoma said in its statement shared Monday (December 22). "As stated previously, the student followed two available processes at the University: the grade appeals process in the college and she made a formal claim of illegal religious discrimination. As already announced, the grade appeal was decided in favor of the student, removing the assignment completely from the student's total point value of the class, resulting in no academic harm to the student.

"The claim for discrimination has bene investigated and concluded. The University does not release findings from such investigations.

"At the same time of the investigation, the Provost -- the University's highest ranking academic officer -- and the academic Dean reviewed the full facts of the matter. Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant's prior grading standards and patterns, as well as 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."

Students were assigned a 650-word response to an academic article examining whether conforming to gender norms was based on popularity or bullying among middle school students, with Fulnecky arguing that she didn't believe there were more than two genders because “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,” she argued.

“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,” Fulnecky added.

Curth wrote that Fulnecky neglected to address the prompt and instead focused on "personal ideology" rather than "empirical evidence," while also claiming that the student's assertions were "at times offensive" in her feedback.

“To call an entire group of people ‘demonic’ is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population,” Curth wrote, before pointing out several contradictions in the essay.

“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.

Fulnecky was listed as two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and an SEC Academic Honor Roll member on the Oklahoma Women's Tennis team, having redshirted during the 2023-24 season and not competed during the 2024-25 season, according to SoonerSports.com, which doesn't have her listed as a member of the team for the 2025-26 season.