A College of Oklahoma scholar’s remaining grade received’t be affected after she controversially flunked a Bible-based essay on gender that was assigned by a trans teacher — triggering widespread backlash.
Samantha Fulnecky, 20, filed a discrimination grievance with the college final week after she was given an F for arguing in her psychology class paper that “perception in a number of genders” was “demonic.”
The college has since revealed the failing grade can have no bearing on Fulnecky’s tutorial standing after the course’s professor, Mel Curth, was positioned on depart and directors launched a probe into the junior’s grievance.
The controversial project was alleged to account for 3% of Fulnecky’s remaining grade.
For the project, Curth — a transgender grad scholar who makes use of “she/they” pronouns — had requested college students to pen a 650-word response to an instructional article that weighed whether or not conformity with gender norms was related to reputation or bullying amongst center faculty college students.
In her essay, Fulnecky famous she was pissed off by the premise of the examine as a result of she doesn’t consider that there are greater than two genders primarily based on her understanding of the Bible.
“Society pushing the lie that there are a number of genders and everybody ought to be no matter they need to be is demonic and severely harms American youth,” she wrote, including that selling the assumption in a number of genders would lead society to maneuver “farther from God’s unique plan for people.”
“I reside my life primarily based on this fact and firmly consider that there could be much less gender points and insecurities in youngsters in the event that they had been raised figuring out that they don’t belong to themselves, however they belong to the Lord.”
Fulnecky obtained zero factors for her paper.
The teacher famous that they failed the psych main on the grounds that she uncared for to handle the immediate and relied extra on “private ideology” than “empirical proof.”
“Please be aware that I’m not deducting factors as a result of you’ve gotten sure beliefs,” the trainer wrote in suggestions, including that the paper did “not reply the questions for the project.”
Curth doubled down, arguing Fulnecky’s paper “contradicts itself, closely makes use of private ideology over empirical proof in a scientific class, and is at occasions offensive.”
“To name a complete group of individuals ‘demonic’ is very offensive, particularly a minoritized inhabitants,” Curth wrote earlier than urging the scholar to attempt to “apply some extra perspective and empathy” in her work shifting ahead.”
The suggestions and failing grade ignited a viral firestorm after the college’s chapter of Turning Level USA blasted out the information on social media.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was amongst these to weigh in, posting on X that the scenario was “deeply regarding.”
“I’m calling on the OU regents to assessment the outcomes of the investigation & guarantee different college students aren’t unfairly penalized for his or her beliefs,” he mentioned.
Because the backlash continued to mount, the college confirmed it had launched an investigation into the scholar’s discrimination claims.
“The College of Oklahoma takes significantly considerations involving First Modification rights, actually together with spiritual freedoms,” the college mentioned in an announcement.
“OU stays firmly dedicated to equity, respect and defending each scholar’s proper to specific sincerely held spiritual beliefs.”
The teacher, in the meantime, will stay on depart for the remainder of the semester.
“The graduate scholar teacher has been positioned on administrative depart pending the finalization of this course of,” the college mentioned.
“To make sure equity within the course of, a full-time professor is serving because the course teacher for the rest of the semester.”
