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University of Oklahoma Instructor Placed on Leave After Failing Student Over Gender-Identity Essay

03:49 PM, 12/05/2025

A University of Oklahoma graduate instructor was placed on administrative leave after giving a student a zero on a 650-word essay that rejected gender identities beyond the two sexes assigned at birth. The student, Samantha Fulnecky, cited religious beliefs in her response; the instructor said the essay relied on personal ideology rather than empirical evidence and did not meet assignment requirements. The case drew national attention after a campus Turning Point USA chapter publicized the story and has been discussed in the context of a January executive order on sex and gender. The university has not released further personnel details.

Instructor Put on Administrative Leave After Disputed Essay Grade

A graduate instructor at the University of Oklahoma was placed on administrative leave on Nov. 30 after giving a student a failing grade for an essay that rejected the idea that a person’s identity can exist outside the two sexes assigned at birth.

The student, 20-year-old Samantha Fulnecky, received 0 out of 25 points on a required 650-word assignment. The task asked students to respond to an academic study examining whether conformity with gender norms among middle school students was associated with popularity or bullying.

"God created men in the image of His courage and strength, and He created women in the image of His beauty. He intentionally created women differently than men and we should live our lives with that in mind," Fulnecky wrote in an excerpt provided to The Oklahoman. She added that she finds it frustrating when people adopt what she called a "mundane opinion" to avoid offending others, calling that tendency "cowardly and insincere."

The instructor who graded the assignment said the submission "did 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." The instructor told the student that personal beliefs are permitted but should not replace empirical evidence in a class focused on scientific findings.

The university has not publicly identified the instructor. According to reporting by The Oklahoman, the instructor was placed on leave on Nov. 30 while the matter is reviewed.

Wider Attention and Political Context

The incident gained broader attention after the campus chapter of Turning Point USA publicized Fulnecky’s account. The report circulated nationally amid heightened debates over gender identity, free expression, and academic standards on college campuses.

Some commentators linked the episode to a January executive order from the Trump administration directing federal agencies and partner organizations to recognize only two genders. The order argued that denying the biological reality of sex creates safety and policy concerns and urged federal policy to reflect that view.

Current Status

The university has released few additional details about any personnel actions. Observers say the case highlights ongoing tensions between academic expectations, student free expression, religious beliefs, and contemporary understandings of gender identity in higher education.

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University of Oklahoma Instructor Placed on Leave After Failing Student Over Gender-Identity Essay - CRBC News