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OU Sparks Outrage After Firing Trans Graduate Teaching Assistant Who Gave MAGA Student A Zero On Essay
A second review of the assignment specifications, grading criteria, and Fulnecky's essay by another member of the OU faculty resulted in the same grade of zero for the same reasons Curth cited.
Instead of a review and response to the assigned article—"Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health"—Fulnecky submitted a rant of her personal beliefs on "multiple genders" interspersed with vague uncited references to the Bible while only tangentially referring to the actual subject of the article—which explored how conformity to gender stereotypes was perceived to affect popularity by middle school children.
Fulnecky wrote:
"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."
Multiple is defined as more than one. Fulnecky declared there was only one gender in her essay, but then failed to provide anything to support her stance.
Fulnecky also claimed bullying was good to keep people in line with her unidentified single gender. She then made points about men and women being naturally manly and womanly without defining either term or relating it to middle school children or their perceptions of popularity.
Fulnecky's clumsy, poorly written attack on transgender people and on her classmates' character—she called them "cowardly"—seemed calculated once Fulnecky's lawyer mother—who defended rioters that attacked the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021—and their ties to Turning Point USA were revealed.
Both Fulnecky's essay and the comments supporting her grade were quickly posted online by the OU TPUSA chapter once she received her grade. Fulnecky also cried "religious persecution" to Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt.
In their post, TPUSA stated:
"We at Turning Point OU stand with Samantha. We should not be letting mentally ill professors around students."
Curth is a transgender woman and clearly the real target of TPUSA's latest calculated attack.
TPUSA has been criticized for manufacturing controversy by submitting poorly executed course work designed to provoke a failing grade so the conservative organization can then cry victim. And that's exactly what Fulnecky did, declaring her failing grade was the result of religious persecution.
But multiple independent reviews of her essay have resulted in the same criticisms Curth cited to support her failing grade.
People even had Elon Musk's Grok and other AI review it. Fulnecky's essay was universally panned for not completing the assignment requirements and just generally poor writing.
But none of that matters to the University of Oklahoma administrators who opted to fold to pressure from TPUSA and the MAGAsphere. In their statement, OU said it determined that Curth was "arbitrary" in grading the essay and would be stripped of her instructional duties.
The unsigned OU statement even included a phrase direct from the TPUSA playbook:
"We are committed to teaching students how to think, not what to think."
The university also removed the zero on the essay from Fulnecky’s final grade in the course.
People expressed outrage over OU's decision to fold under pressure from anti intellectual organizations like TPUSA.
@alterici/Bluesky
@timekiller-s/Bluesky
@nkalamb/Bluesky
@faithmerino/Bluesky
Even the chairman of the Oklahoma Federation of College Republicans was on Curth's side, saying:
"The academic quality of the essay written by Samantha Fulnecky is indefensible, and the professor’s failing grade is demonstrably correct. For TPUSA’s OU chapter to elevate this poorly written paper suggests a serious lapse in judgment."
Curth's lawyer, Brittany Stewart, replied in a statement that the grading decision was not arbitrary—it conformed to assignment instructions and the grading criteria—and was considering appealing the OU's decision.
Leaders of the OU Graduate Student Senate said in a late Monday statement that they disagree with OU's decision and want Curth reinstated.
The graduate student organization added that OU's decision indicates the administration has "not sufficiently reflected on the harm that these actions will cause the graduate student, the general student body and the university's faculty."
They wrote:
"If we, the students, are the University’s promise, then the University owes us integrity, excellence, self-reflection, and the courage to stand up for its instructors. The administration’s actions have depreciated all of OU’s degrees, directly harming OU’s student body."
OU's chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) also responded.
The organization created a petition demanding OU protect academic freedom and the university's educators and researchers from politically motivated attacks by publicity seekers like Fulnecky and TPUSA.
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'Harry Potter' Star Miriam Margolyes Offers Mic Drop Explanation For Why Respecting Pronouns Matters
The 84-year-old actor, known for her extensive career in stage and film, is perhaps more importantly recognized by most younger generations as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter movies. Her thoughts diverge wildly from the widely-known transphobe author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling.
In the interview, Margolyes reflected on her own growth relating to and talking with trans people, saying that while she supports trans' people's right to self determination, she had struggled with using "they/them" pronouns in the past, citing a love of grammar precision as the reason why.
She explained:
"I was very keen on grammar, and so when people started talking about pronouns and that they wanted 'them' and not 'he/she,' I thought, 'What the f*ck are you talking about?' It's clear, it's grammar."
However, a pivotal conversation changed her mind. She credits actor Zoe Terakes, who uses they/them pronouns, with helping her shift her worldview and the subsequently her actions, on the subject.
Margolyes did misgender Terakes when quoting them, using "she" pronouns, but the spirit was there.
"'What does it matter to you,' [they] said, 'if you can make someone happy by calling them 'they' instead of 'he' or 'she,' why not do it?'"
From then on, Margolyes said, she changed her attitude on the matter.
People pointed out that, even if Margolyes thinks that using a singular they isn't grammatically correct, it actually is, going all the way back to examples from the Bard himself, William Shakespeare.
In fact, someone said, we use it all the time without even thinking about it.
A few people were rankled by Margolyes citing Zoe Tarekas discussing trans grammar with her, while at the tame time misgendering Tarakes the entire time.
Folks recognized that Margolyes is currently in a deeply transphobic country, and offered her a way out to join her other roots, as Margolyes is British-Australian.
People gave credit where credit was due and commented on Margolyes' advanced age and how she isn't ossified in her own growth as a human.
All in all, commenters really felt her message hit home.
Margolyes most recently appeared in one of her travel specials, Miriam Margolyes Discovers New Zealand.