this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2025
120 points (97.6% liked)

News

33393 readers
2602 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil

Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.

2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.

Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.

3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.

Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.

4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.

Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.

5. Only recent news is allowed.

Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.

6. All posts must be news articles.

No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.

7. No duplicate posts.

If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.

8. Misinformation is prohibited.

Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.

9. No link shorteners.

The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.

10. Don't copy entire article in your post body

For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
JonsJava@lemmy.world
gedaliyah@lemmy.world
little_cow@lemmy.world
jeffw@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
rjc@lemmy.world
Tenthrow@lemmy.world
120
Oklahoma university instructor on leave after failing Bible-based essay on gender (apnews.com)
submitted 13 hours ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
32 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

An instructor at the University of Oklahoma has been placed on leave after a student complained that she received a failing grade on a paper that cited the Bible to assert that the “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.”

Samantha Fulnecky, 20, filed a complaint with the administration, the latest flashpoint in the ongoing debate over academic freedom on college campuses amid Donald Trump’s push to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and restrict how campuses discuss issues of race, gender and sexuality.

Fulnecky wrote that she was frustrated by the premise of the article because she doesn’t believe that there are more than two genders based on her understanding of the Bible, according to a copy of her essay provided to The Oklahoman.

top 32 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] davad@lemmy.world 102 points 12 hours ago (3 children)

I've been following this situation. This article leaves out a ton of relevant info. Here's some more details in no particular order:

  • The assignment had nothing to do with transgenderism. It was to read and discuss an academic paper about socially enforced gender norms (e.g., bullying the tomboy for not wearing makeup).
  • The instructor is a grad student.
  • The same day the student filed the complaint, a second grader (a professor I think) re-graded the paper and confirmed the original grade.

Someone I follow on another platform pointed out that this looks suspiciously like a setup to stoke outrage and media attention.

  • Samantha Fulnecky is a junior and this is a freshman course.
  • This section of the course is the only section taught by a transwoman.
  • The assignment is not a meaningful part of the grade. Think of it as a weekly assignment, not a major paper or exam.
  • Samantha's mother is a lawyer and conservative activist known for representing two Jan 6ers and for fighting COVID-related mandates. She has been in national news before.
  • Samantha & mother contacted media outlets the same day Samantha filed the complaint (the regrade happened that same day too).
[–] gnutrino@programming.dev 16 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

a second grader (a professor I think)

Wow, talk about a child prodigy...

[–] davad@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago

I worded that poorly 😂.

"It was regraded by another instructor"

[–] brendansimms@lemmy.world 11 points 8 hours ago

^^^ All this. Its just another scam

[–] BonkTheAnnoyed@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

The assignment had nothing to do with transgenderism. It

"transgenderism" isn't a real word. It's a propaganda word similar to "the homosexual lifestyle."

This section of the course is the only section taught by a transwoman.

trans woman. Two words, short for transgender woman.

[–] protist@mander.xyz 55 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

The assignment was for a psychology class about lifespan development. Students were asked to write a 650-word response to an academic study that examined whether conformity with gender norms was associated with popularity or bullying among middle school students.

The essays were graded out of 25 points, broken down by whether the student demonstrated an understanding of the article and addressed a specific aspect of the argument put forth. Fulnecky received zero points for her work.

"Please note that I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs,” the instructor wrote in feedback obtained by The Oklahoman. Instead, the instructor said the paper did “not answer the questions for the assignment.”

[–] davad@lemmy.world 50 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (2 children)

I've been following this situation. This article leaves out a ton of relevant info. Here's some more details in no particular order:

  • The assignment had nothing to do with transgenderism. It was to read and discuss an academic paper about socially enforced gender norms (e.g., bullying the tomboy for not wearing makeup).
  • The instructor is a grad student.
  • The same day the student filed the complaint, a second grader (a professor I think) re-graded the paper and confirmed the original grade.

Someone I follow on another platform pointed out that this looks suspiciously like a setup to stoke outrage and media attention.

  • Samantha Fulnecky is a junior and this is a freshman course.
  • This section of the course is the only section taught by a transwoman.
  • The assignment is not a meaningful part of the grade. Think of it as a weekly assignment, not a major paper or exam.
  • Samantha's mother is a lawyer and conservative activist known for representing two Jan 6ers and for fighting COVID-related mandates. She has been in national news before.
  • Samantha & mother contacted media outlets the same day Samantha filed the complaint (the regrade happened that same day too).

Edit: sorry, didn't mean to reply to the previous comment. This was meant to be a top-level comment. I've reposted

[–] protist@mander.xyz 19 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Definitely sounds like a media play based in lies. Too bad about this god awful AP headline

[–] nulluser@lemmy.world 12 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Someone I follow on another platform pointed out that this looks suspiciously like a setup to stoke outrage and media attention.

Every time this kind of thing makes the news, this is a safe assumption to operate under until you get more details. Time and time again, this is what's going on.

[–] evenglow@lemmy.world 5 points 12 hours ago

Almost like there is a pattern or something.

[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 27 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

Samantha might have won this fight, but I guarantee any employee who ends up looking up this name is immediately going to throw her application in the paper. Unless she ends up working for Prager-U or some bullshit like that

Like who in their right mind would want to work with someone like that?

Edit: of course it's an orchestrated stunt specifically to target a trans teacher. God damn it just fucking kill me already.

[–] Eldritch@piefed.world 28 points 13 hours ago

This was all likely a stunt. Apparently her mother is a well-known propagandist and blogger.

[–] lemmylump@lemmy.world 26 points 13 hours ago

These Christian nationalist fucking Nazis need to be dealt with.

STOP ABIDING NAZIS!

https://youtu.be/-sOSr7n_8YU

[–] whatalute@lemmy.world 17 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

After reading her paper I counted only 3 sentences that seem to directly address the article it's supposed to be a response to. And those sentences are fluffy filler like stating the article was "thought provoking." The rest of the 2 pages is a full on religion paper. There was easily a way to get her point across about disagreeing with the premise while still actually addressing what the article stated.

I'm not claiming to be some amazing writer but that reads like something I would have thrown together in high school when I procrastinated and only had 10 minutes before the assignment was due. Just yikes. I feel dumber for having read that.

[–] DomeGuy@lemmy.world 12 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

That's not a religion paper. Those actually cite the numbered verses or church decrees that support their position.

(And, just to be clear, you can't cite any Bible verses about Jesus being transphobic because He wasn't. All the gospels report Him saying are "don't stone adulterers", "divorce and emotional cheating are bad", and "love each other as you love yourselves".)

[–] whatalute@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

Your completely right. Calling it that is a disservice to actual religion papers. The writing is nothing more than christian fundamentalist word vomit, seasoned with karen-style rage bait. Lol

[–] grindemup@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

And, just to be clear, you can't cite any Bible verses about Jesus being transphobic because He wasn't. All the gospels report Him saying are "don't stone adulterers", "divorce and emotional cheating are bad", and "love each other as you love yourselves".

I'm not convinced. What do you make of Deuteronomy 22 and 23? They seem pretty explicitly transphobic to me. Granted, these aren't the direct words of Jesus, and I understand that Jesus "rejected" some of the old testament teachings to some extent.. which sounds like a load of BS to me considering the Trinity doctrine. Jesus doesn't need to explicitly condemn trans people when he propagates a tradition that does it for him.

[–] DomeGuy@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Jesus literally contradicted those passages, both in His most famous teaching (Matthew 22:34-40) and in the "why we can eat bacon cheeseburgers" post-resurrection vision in Acts 10.

The most straightforward reconciliation of this is to posit that the pre-Christian israelites either did not preserve God's law as recorded by Moses after breaking the original tablets, or that Moses himself introduced errors when he carved the second set.

Most Jews and Christians don't require their cloaks to have tassels or religiously mandate fields of monoculture crops or demand that men and women have entirely separate fashion. And even if you did, the most common form of trans-gender expression is to adopt the clothes of said gender, so mere transgenderism doesn't violate Deuteronomy 22:5 (or 23:2, which is either abelsim or ethnic bigotry and doesn't even apply to bottom-surgery transexuals.)

(It's between you and God if you believe in Him or not, FWIW. Im happy to answer any other questions you'd like to ask.)

[–] grindemup@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Jesus literally contradicted those passages, both in His most famous teaching (Matthew 22:34-40) and in the "why we can eat bacon cheeseburgers" post-resurrection vision in Acts 10.

I'm looking at the NIV translation of these verses and am entirely unconvinced. Saying some nice platitudes which are in no way specific to transphobia does nothing to undo the transphobic tradition that he is perpetuating.

The most straightforward reconciliation of this is to posit that the pre-Christian israelites either did not preserve God's law as recorded by Moses after breaking the original tablets, or that Moses himself introduced errors when he carved the second set.

Strongly disagree again. The most straightforward reconciliation of this is to posit that Jesus as well as Moses were mere humans and none of this originates from God. Either way, it doesn't really matter. If Jesus and/or the author's of the Gospels had issues with the words transcribed from Moses, they should have addressed those specifically and advocated for trans people instead of staying silent and letting transphobism fester.

Most Jews and Christians don't require their cloaks to have tassels or religiously mandate fields of monoculture crops or demand that men and women have entirely separate fashion. And even if you did, the most common form of trans-gender expression is to adopt the clothes of said gender, so mere transgenderism doesn't violate Deuteronomy 22:5 (or 23:2, which is either abelsim or ethnic bigotry and doesn't even apply to bottom-surgery transexuals.)

What modern religious people practice has little to do with what Jesus said, which is the subject of your original claim. Jesus' words reified the transphobic tradition of the Old Testament, and without explicit acceptance of trans people and rejection of those original words, I see a very clear case that Jesus was (or at least perpetuated being) transphobic.

(It's between you and God if you believe in Him or not, FWIW. Im happy to answer any other questions you'd like to ask.)

No I don't have any questions; I have a claim with substantial evidence that Jesus perpetuated anti-trans beliefs and I have yet to see any evidence to the contrary.

[–] DomeGuy@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

You don't have a "claim", you have an anti-christian (and anti-relgious) bias I suspect I couldn't talk you out of with a time-travelling phone box and a univerally-translating fish.

I hope whatever hurt you can't hurt you anymore, and that you find love and joy in your life.

[–] grindemup@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Haha I have a lot of love and joy in my life, do you really need to resort to baseless ad hominems for your argument?

And why exactly do I not have a claim? I cited scripture which directly contradicts your point and provided a clear argument. I could be very easily "talked out" of my position if you simply presented any scripture where Jesus shows support for trans rights. Thus far you have not done that.

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 11 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

There are reasons they are #50 in education.

[–] MajorasTerribleFate@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 hours ago

Worth noting that these things are usually (and this one is) out of 51, including D.C. New Mexico appears to be #51 on the 2025 WalletHub list that is being referenced lately that put Oklahoma at #50.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 9 points 11 hours ago

I hate that we’ve let whineocracy win.

[–] Saapas@piefed.zip 9 points 8 hours ago

It's funny that even /r/Conservative over at Reddit think the essay was some dumb bullshit

[–] Magister@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Everyday I thank the universe/chance/FSM/bender/the great scott/whatever I wasn't born in the USA especially a shithole bible state.

[–] human@slrpnk.net 3 points 12 hours ago

This is the correct reaction.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 7 points 4 hours ago

Ugh, what atrocious writing. She deserved a poor grade based on that alone.

[–] adubya@feddit.online 3 points 9 hours ago

In the recent ' Original Constitutional Principles Affecting Culture' event where the student Fulnecky discusss this, it stick out to me that she admits that the University directed her on how to file a grade appeal & file discrimination claim. She seemed upset that she wasn't validated. I am a person that leans that the paper deserved a grade but not a passing one, it was terrible. You can read the comment from the TPUSA Faculty Advisor even they admit that much.

I find this so bizarre of a claim because MAGA rode a wave nearly a decade ago of fighting campus "Safe Spaces" and "Facts don't care about your Feelings" yet this student is claiming that other groups and religions would have been given "validation" & "Compassion".

Doubt the RW in my state of Oklahoma cares about any of that and just want to assault Public Education from k-12 & higher ed. Her claim is that she didn't get an experience that Far-Right Christians & Republicans have purged from that very campus.

This has nothing to do about anything other than targeting the Instructor as well as setting up plans to defund public schools & all other aspects. OU is really going to hurt themselves caving to this mob and not defending the instructor.

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 points 12 hours ago

USA! USA! USA!

[–] Gates9@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 minutes ago

Oklahomastan

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

The reason, Oklahoma. Nothing more, nothing less.