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“God made male and female and made us differently from each other on purpose and for a purpose,” Fulnecky wrote. “Gender roles and tendencies should not be considered ‘stereotypes.’ Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts.” She referenced Genesis and the Hebrew term ezer kenegdo to clarify that women were not created to be subordinate to men.
Her essay challenged the article’s claim that gender stereotypes are harmful, arguing instead that “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.”
Teaching Assistant Punishes Biblical Perspective
Graduate teaching assistant Mel Curth, who uses she/they pronouns, responded by giving Fulnecky a zero out of 25 points. The assignment’s rubric only required a clear connection to the article, a thoughtful reaction, and proper writing—nothing prohibited religious viewpoints or required purely “empirical evidence.”
Curth’s feedback, however, made clear the punishment was ideological, not academic. “I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs, but instead I am deducting points 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,” Curth wrote.
Curth also denounced Fulnecky’s description of gender ideology as “demonic,” calling it “highly offensive,” especially toward “a minoritized population.” Despite Fulnecky appealing the grade, Curth refused to reconsider, signaling that deviation from progressive orthodoxy would not be tolerated.
A Pattern of Targeting Christians at OU
This is not the first time the University of Oklahoma has been accused of targeting Christians. In 2018, law professor Brian McCall resigned from two administrative posts after criticism over a book he wrote expressing traditional Catholic beliefs. An internal investigation cleared him of wrongdoing, yet he still lost his positions.
Similarly, in 2021, former volleyball player Kylee McLaughlin sued the university after being forced to watch a left-leaning documentary comparing Trump supporters to violent segregationists, and then penalized for disagreeing. Oklahoma University’s record shows a clear pattern of punishing students and faculty who uphold traditional Christian values.
Public Outcry Forces Action
Governor Kevin Stitt spoke out strongly after learning of Fulnecky’s case. “The 1st Amendment is foundational to our freedom & inseparable from a well rounded education,” he posted. “The situation at OU is deeply concerning. I’m calling on the OU regents to review the results of the investigation & ensure other students aren’t unfairly penalized for their beliefs.”
Turning Point USA’s Oklahoma chapter went further, calling the teaching assistant unfit: “We should not be letting mentally ill professors around students. Clearly, this professor lacks the intellectual maturity to set her own bias aside and take grading seriously.”
Under pressure, the university finally placed Curth on administrative leave and announced that Fulnecky’s grade would not count. Fulnecky, however, told Fox News Digital she only learned of the university’s action after it went public on social media.
“I honestly don’t think they would have if it hadn’t blown up on social media the way it did,” she said. She encouraged fellow Christian students to resist ideological intimidation: “It can be pretty scary, but Jesus is always worth standing up for, and I just encourage those people that are dealing with something similar to push back against that kind of behavior and really fight for your university to change.”
Standing Up Against Anti-Christian Bias
Fulnecky’s bravery is a wake-up call. The radical Left has entrenched itself in higher education, but public accountability works. When universities face scrutiny, they remember the First Amendment exists. Every Christian student should draw inspiration from Fulnecky’s stand—remaining silent only allows anti-Christian bias to thrive.
