Oklahoma student given zero on Bible-citing essay says university only suspended TA after dispute went viral

A student at the University of Oklahoma is speaking out after she received a zero on an opinion-based essay in which she cited the Bible. The teaching assistant, who identifies as transgender, called the essay “offensive.”

“I was told to give my opinion on gender stereotypes and gender norms. So that’s what I did,” Samantha Fulnecky, who wrote the essay, said on “The Will Cain Show” Tuesday.

“I didn’t think that was me needing to be brave or have courage,” she added.

Fulnecky, a junior pre-med student, said she was asked to read an article on gender, mental health and gender stereotypes. According to Fulnecky, the assignment was meant to be opinion-based and respond to the article’s discussion of gender pressures among middle-schoolers.

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Samantha Fulnecky received a zero grade after citing the Bible in an essay on gender norms, prompting the University of Oklahoma to place the teaching assistant on leave pending review of the incident. (Brett Deering/Getty Images/Fox News)

In her essay, Fulnecky argued that her religious beliefs support traditional gender norms and that such norms should be reinforced rather than eliminated.

“I talked about the Bible and what God says about gender norms and about how there are two genders,” Fulnecky said.

“The response I got back was a zero on that paper and the TA saying that my writing was offensive and that I needed more empathy.”

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The paper was graded by graduate teaching assistant Mel Curth, who uses she/they pronouns. Curth argued that the zero had nothing to do with Fulnecky’s beliefs but with a lack of required evidence and connections to the article.

“Please note that I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs,” Curth wrote, “but instead I am deducting point [sic] for you posting a reaction paper that does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive.”

A University of Oklahoma campus sign is pictured in Norman, Okla., on Dec. 1, 2024. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

Curth also took issue with Fulnecky’s use of the word “demonic,” calling it “highly offensive” and arguing that the concept of two sexes is not supported by science.

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The University of Oklahoma later posted a statement on X: “The University of Oklahoma takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms.”

“Upon receiving notice from the student on the grading of an assignment, the University immediately began a full review of the situation and has acted swiftly to address the matter,” the statement said.

The university has placed Curth on administrative leave. Fulnecky says she learned of the suspension only through social media and questioned whether the same action would have been taken had her story not gone viral.

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“I didn’t know that they were going to take the situation seriously, and I don’t know if that’s because it blew up on social media and that’s what caused them to act on it that way,” she said.

“But when they were in contact with me, it didn’t seem to me like they were [going to] do anything about it.”