University of Oklahoma instructor on leave after failing Bible essay claiming belief in multiple genders is ‘demonic’

A University of Oklahoma instructor has been placed on leave after a student complained about receiving a failing grade on a paper that cited the Bible to claim that “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.”

Samantha Fulnecky, 20, filed a complaint with the administration, the latest flash point in the ongoing debate over academic freedom on college campuses, amid President Trump’s efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and restrict how campuses discuss issues of race, gender and sexuality.

“OU remains firmly committed to fairness, respecting and protecting the right of every student to express their sincerely held religious beliefs,” the university wrote in an email Wednesday.

The school added that the failing grade — which was supposed to represent 3 percent of Fulnecky’s final grade — would not affect the junior’s academic performance. An investigation into Fulnecky’s discrimination complaint remains ongoing.

The assignment concerned a psychology course on life development. Students were asked to write a 650-word response to a university study examining whether conformity to gender norms was associated with popularity or harassment among middle school students.

Fulnecky wrote that she was frustrated with the premise of the article because she does not believe there are more than two genders based on her understanding of the Bible, according to a copy of her essay obtained by CBS affiliate KWTV.

“The society that propagates the lie that there are many genders and that everyone should be whatever they want is evil and is seriously harming America’s youth,” she wrote.

She argued that promoting belief in the existence of multiple genders would lead society to move away from “God’s original plan for humans.”

In an interview with KWTV, Fulnecky said she thought she deserved a perfect score.

“We got these assignments all semester, and I still wrote them,” she said. “And I’ve gotten a 100 on all of them so far.”

Some criticized him for not actually quoting the Bible, but instead making a general reference, KWTV reported.

“I didn’t specifically quote a verse or part of the Bible,” she told the station. “But the instructions asked us to draw on our personal experiences and give a thoughtful reaction based on our previous experiences and knowledge.”

Essays were graded out of 25 points, divided according to whether or not the student demonstrated an understanding of the article and addressed a specific aspect of the argument being made. Fulnecky received no points for his work.

In response to the essay, the instructor said Fulnecky’s assignment “does not answer the assignment questions, contradicts itself, largely uses personal ideology rather than empirical evidence in a science course, and is sometimes offensive,” KWTV reported.

A second teacher in the class also told Fulnecky that she agreed with the other instructor’s grade for the assignment, the station reported.

Fulnecky’s complaint to the administration went viral after the school’s chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative group founded by Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September, posted an article about Fulnecky’s experience on the social media site X.

“Teachers like this are the very reason conservatives can’t express their beliefs in the classroom,” the group posted.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt appeared to affirm this view, posting on X that the situation was “deeply concerning.”

“I call on the OU Regents to review the results of the investigation and ensure that other students are not unfairly penalized for their beliefs,” he wrote.

The firestorm comes after a Texas A&M professor was fired earlier this year after a video in which a student confronted the instructor over his teaching about gender identity issues in a children’s literature class went viral. In late November, a university committee ruled that the dismissal was without just cause and flouted formal procedure.

Since Mr. Trump took office, student affinity groups have closed campus offices and professors have changed curriculums. The president also threatened to defund schools that fail to meet administration-backed teaching, admissions and gender standards in sports. Both supporters and opponents of the Trump administration’s campaign say free speech is at stake.