A routine college assignment at the University of Oklahoma recently turned into a full-blown culture war after a trans instructor failed a student who approached her gender-based essay through a biblical framework.
Claims of discrimination and debate around academic standards made way as the instructor got fired, and the student filed a complaint.
What happened was that a 20-year-old junior, Samantha Fki, got a zero on a psychology essay after grounding her response in the Bible and arguing that there are only two genders.
She said her paper followed the assignment as given, but the grader (teaching assistant named Mel Curth, a trans graduate who reportedly uses she/they pronouns) disagreed. Then the university stepped in.
The assignment seemed straightforward, as students had to write a 650-word reaction to an academic article examining whether conformity to gender norms affects popularity or bullying among middle school students.
According to Fki, she did exactly what she was asked to do, which is to offer her perspective on gender stereotypes and norms. But yes, her perspective leaned on faith.
In her essay, Fki argued that gender is binary because “that is how God made us” and that multiple genders harm children. She wrote that pushing the idea of fluid gender identities was “demonic” and suggested fewer gender-related struggles would exist if children were raised with Bible studies.
The response from her unimpressed instructor was a zero.
University of Oklahoma Fires Teaching Assistant Who Failed Student for Using Bible in Essay
The University of Oklahoma has terminated a graduate teaching assistant after they gave student Samantha Fulnecky a zero on a paper about gender. The failing grade was issued because… pic.twitter.com/LK0PNGw8bc
— AtmosphereDaily (@atmospheredaily) December 24, 2025
Curth said in a written feedback that the essay didn’t address the academic prompt and relied on personal ideology. The language was also flagged as offensive, particularly the characterization of an entire group as “demonic.”
The instructor explained that the grade was not about Fki’s beliefs, but about not meeting the assignment’s requirements. That explanation didn’t cool things down.
The Bible controversy exploded after the University of Oklahoma’s Turning Point USA chapter shared details of the grade online. On social media, Conservative commentators accused the university of punishing religious expression.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt called the situation “deeply concerning.”
How did this girl even GET into Oklahoma?
Her paper was absolutely embarrassing. She failed to follow directions, didn’t meet the word count and didn’t cite a single source.
At a minimum, she should have cited the Bible, the edition, page and verse she was referencing.
So… pic.twitter.com/E2dwkFwH17
— Maile (@MaileOnX) November 30, 2025
Fki has filed a discrimination complaint with the university and claimed her religious freedom had been violated. As a result of that, the university placed Curth on leave and launched an internal investigation.
Later, the university removed Curth from instructional duties altogether. Officials said that a review of the instructor’s remarks showed the grading was arbitrary.
The school also clarified that the assignment would only count for 3% of Fki’s final grade and would have no impact on her academic standing.
Fki has since told the campus newspaper that she never intended to offend anyone and condemned online attacks directed at the instructor. She said that she believes God has a purpose for everyone. “That was never my intention.”
But where to draw the line between freedom to express one’s religious belief and academic strictness?
