A graduate instructor at the University of Oklahoma has now reportedly been placed on leave after giving a student a failing grade for refusing to affirm the idea that gender exists beyond male and female — a position that aligns with the Trump administration’s recent executive order requiring federal agencies to recognize only two genders.
The student, 20-year-old Samantha Fulnecky, received a zero out of 25 points on a 650-word essay assignment for a scientific course that asked students to respond to a study analyzing whether adherence to gender norms influences bullying or popularity among middle schoolers. Fulnecky’s response unapologetically rejected contemporary gender ideology and reaffirmed her Christian beliefs about biological sex.
“God created men in the image of His courage and strength, and He created women in the image of His beauty,” Fulnecky wrote in the essay obtained by The Oklahoman. “He intentionally created women differently than men and we should live our lives with that in mind.”
She went on to criticize what she viewed as intellectual conformity among her peers. “It is frustrating to me when I read articles like this and discussion posts from my classmates of so many people trying to conform to the same mundane opinion, so they do not step on people’s toes,” she wrote. “I think that is a cowardly and insincere way to live.”
Her instructor, however, condemned the submission, insisting Fulnecky’s argument was inappropriate for the assignment. The instructor claimed her work failed to “answer the questions,” relied on “personal ideology over empirical evidence,” and was “at times offensive.”
“While you are entitled to your own personal beliefs, there is an appropriate time or place to implement them,” the instructor wrote, saying students may question course material only through “empirical findings or testable hypotheses,” not religious convictions.
The university has not identified the instructor but confirmed the individual was placed on leave November 30.
The controversy exploded nationally after the campus chapter of Turning Point USA publicized Fulnecky’s experience, especially as the conservative student organization mourns the recent death of its founder, Charlie Kirk. TPUSA has long promoted traditional Christian values, aligning with the Trump administration’s January executive order that mandates federal entities and partners to legally recognize only male and female.
The executive order warns against efforts to erase biological sex, saying such movements “fundamentally attack women by depriving them of their dignity, safety, and well-being.” It cites examples of activists enabling “men to self-identify as women” to access women’s private spaces — including shelters, locker rooms, and showers — calling the trend “wrong.”
It further states that erasing sex distinctions erodes the “validity of the entire American system” and emphasizes that federal policy must be based on truth, scientific integrity, and public safety.
Fulnecky’s case sits squarely at the center of the national debate over compelled ideology in higher education. For many conservatives, the incident is yet another example of universities punishing students for holding traditional viewpoints grounded in faith, biology, and common sense.
As the university’s investigation proceeds, the case is expected to fuel broader discussions about academic freedom, viewpoint discrimination, and the growing clash between gender ideology and religious conviction on America’s campuses.
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