Daily Voice
By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice
A university's instructor was put on administrative leave after a student claimed she was discriminated against after saying that it's "demonic" to believe in multiple genders.
The University of Oklahoma said in a statement on Sunday, Nov. 30, that the graduate student instructor was placed on leave. The school is investigating claims from Samantha Fulnecky, a junior psychology major who was given zero out of 25 points for her essay that cited the Bible.
Fulnecky accused the instructor of discriminating against her for being Christian.
"The University of Oklahoma takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms," the school's statement said. "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."
OU said that "the process resulted in steps to ensure no academic harm" for Fulnecky. A full-time professor has taken over the course while the review continues.
Fulnecky's psychology assignment was to write a 650-word reaction to an article about gender expectations in society, according to The Oklahoman newspaper.
"The article discussed peers using teasing as a way to enforce gender norms," Fulnecky wrote. "I do not necessarily see this as a problem. God made male and female and made us differently from each other on purpose and for a purpose. God is very intentional with what He makes, and I believe trying to change that would only do more harm."
In her essay, Fulnecky wrote that she believes that "eliminating gender in our society would be detrimental, as it pulls us farther from God's original plan for humans."
"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," Fulnecky wrote. "I do not want kids to be teased or bullied in school. However, pushing the lie that everyone has their own truth and everyone can do whatever they want and be whoever they want is not biblical whatsoever."
The University of Oklahoma's campus in Norman, OK.
In written comments obtained by The Oklahoman, the instructor said that the essay didn't receive a failing grade for Fulnecky's religious faith, but because the paper didn't follow what was assigned.
"I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs, but instead I am deducting point[s] 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," the instructor wrote.
The instructor also said that the essay wasn't the "appropriate time or place" to reflect on personal values.
"I encourage all students to question or challenge the course material with other empirical findings or testable hypotheses, but using your own personal beliefs to argue against the findings of not only this article, but the findings of countless articles across psychology, biology, sociology, etc. is not best practice," the instructor wrote.
The instructor also objected to Fulnecky describing diverse gender identities as "demonic."
"Please note that acknowledging gender stereotypes does not immediately denote a negative connotation, a nuance this article discusses," the instructor wrote. "Additionally, to call an entire group of people 'demonic' is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population. You are entitled to your own beliefs, but this isn't a vague narrative of 'society pushes lies,' but instead the result of countless years developing psychological and scientific evidence for these claims and directly interacting with the communities involved.
"You may personally disagree with this, but that doesn't change the fact that every major psychological, medical, pediatric, and psychiatric association in the United States acknowledges that, biologically and psychologically, sex and gender is neither binary nor fixed."
A second instructor agreed with the zero out of 25 grade, saying Fulnecky didn't use "empirical evidence and higher-level reasoning."
"I find it concerning that you state at the beginning of your paper that you do not think bullying ('teasing') is a bad thing," the other instructor wrote. "In addition, your paper directly and harshly criticizes your peers and their opinions, which are just as valuable as yours. Disagreeing with others is fine, but there is a respectful way to go about it. That goes for discussion posts as well as reaction papers. Please employ more thoughtfulness in your future assignments."
Fulnecky told The Oklahoman she believes the F violated her First Amendment rights.
"To be what I think is clearly discriminated against for my beliefs and using freedom of speech, and especially for my religious beliefs, I think that's just absurd," she said to the Oklahoma City-based outlet.
In a social media post, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt showed support for Fulnecky.
"The situation at OU is deeply concerning," the Republican governor posted. "I'm calling on the OU [board of] regents to review the results of the investigation & ensure other students aren't unfairly penalized for their beliefs."
Fulnecky, a southern Missouri native, was a member of the Oklahoma women's tennis team, but never competed for the Sooners after redshirting as a freshman.
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