Fall colors on the campus of University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025.

A First Amendment controversy is brewing in Oklahoma over a college essay that led to an allegation of religious discrimination and an instructor put on leave.

The matter involves an essay for a psychology course at the University of Oklahoma in which the student drew on her personal religious beliefs in a discussion about societal gender norms.

The university's Turning Point USA chapter posted about the incident on X on Nov. 27, garnering more than 35 million views in less than a week.

The chapter accused the instructor of religious bias and claimed such people "are the very reason conservatives can't voice their beliefs in the classroom." The larger Turning Point USA organization maintains a "Professor Watchlist" tool that encourages people to report teachers and school leadership for "radical left" positions.

It’s all happening in a state that’s already been at the center of religious freedom debates. A federal judge in August barred a state law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms from going into effect while litigation continues, calling it “plainly unconstitutional.”

Concerns were also raised weeks later over comments made by then-State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters that “every Oklahoma high school will have a Turning Point USA chapter.” Walters later told USA TODAY his assertion was based on the surge of interest in starting new chapters following Charlie Kirk’s assassination but that schools would not be required to have them.

Here’s what to know about the most recent controversy in the state and its First Amendment implications:

What was the assignment? What did the student write?

Students in a psychology class were asked to write a 650-word essay in response to an article discussing the role societal gender norms play in how people are perceived.

Samantha Fulnecky, a junior majoring in psychology at the university, argued that moving away from such norms “pulls us farther from God’s original plans for humans” and added that God intentionally created differences between men and women.

“Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts,” Fulnecky wrote. “The same goes for men. God created men in the image of His courage and strength, and He created women in the image of His beauty.”

Fulnecky accused her peers of going along with more progressive ideas about gender simply to avoid stoking criticism, calling it a “cowardly and insincere way to live.”

How did the instructor respond?

Fulnecky received zero out of 25 points for the assignment, the school's Turning Point USA chapter said.

According to the university, the assignment was led by a graduate student instructor. The instructor's comments, according to a screenshot posted by the school’s Turning Point USA chapter, said they were “not deducting points because you have certain beliefs” but rather because the paper “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 went on to say it is “perfectly fine to believe” in adhering to traditional gender roles but that the student’s personal beliefs do not change the broad medical, psychological and scientific consensus about sex and gender.

“I implore you to apply some more perspective and empathy in your work,” the instructor wrote. “If you personally disagree with the findings, then by all means share your criticisms, but make sure to do so in a way that is appropriate and using the methodology of empirical psychology, as aligned with the learning goals in this class.”

The instructor, Mel Curth, declined to comment to The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Has the school fired the instructor?

Not as of Dec. 1.

While Turning Point USA called for the instructor to be fired, the school said the instructor was on administrative leave as an investigation continued in a Nov. 30 statement. A full-time professor is taking over the course for the rest of the semester.

The school said it “takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms” and that took action “immediately” to addressed the academic and legal concerns raised by the student.

“OU remains firmly committed to fairness, respect and protecting every student’s right to express sincerely held religious beliefs,” the school said.

The school told USA TODAY on Dec. 1 that the instructor remained on leave "pending review of allegations." It reiterated that the "grade appeal process resulted in no academic harm to the student" and that the assignments would not be calculated in their final grade.

How have others responded?

The Oklahoma Freedom Caucus, a right-wing coalition within the state’s Legislature, called the matter a “First Amendment concern on its face” and said a larger issue exists beyond Fulnecky’s case.

“The reality is, a review may resolve one incident, but it does not fix a system drifting away from the values of Oklahoma’s people,” the caucus wrote on X. “Integrity requires acknowledging the underlying problem, not just managing the optics.”

Oklahoma state Sen. Lisa Standridge, a member of the caucus, called for the instructor to be fired.

Fulnecky told The Oklahoman she felt the need to raise awareness of "freedom of speech violations and religious discrimination" and expressed displeasure in the school's response to the matter in a social media post.

Fulnecky is scheduled to make her first public appearance amid the controversy at an event for the conservative think tank OCPAC (Original Constitutional Principles Affecting Culture) Foundation on Dec. 3, according to The Oklahoman.

Contributing: Alex Gladden and Alexia Aston of The Oklahoman.

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com.

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College essay on gender puts focus on religious freedom. Here's why

Reporting by BrieAnna J. Frank, Alex Gladden and Alexia Aston, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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