The University of Oklahoma has removed graduate teaching assistant Mel Curth from his instructional duties following a student’s successful appeal against a failing grade for an academic assignment that referenced religious beliefs about gender.

A 20-year-old junior psychology major, Samantha Fulnecky, won her appeal after the university determined she had been unfairly graded for writing a paper arguing that the Bible teaches there are only two genders. In its statement, the university noted Fulnecky followed both the college’s grade appeals process and made a formal claim of religious discrimination regarding the assignment. The institution decided to remove the assignment from her total points without academic harm.

The university also stated an investigation found graduate teaching assistant Mel Curth was arbitrary in grading this specific paper. As a result, Curth has been relieved of his instructional duties.

Fulnecky’s essay argued that she does not believe there are more than two genders because “that is how God made us.” She added that “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.”

In her feedback, Curth wrote that Fulnecky’s work neglected to address the assignment prompt and relied more on “personal ideology” than “empirical evidence.” She also described Fulnecky’s assertions as “at times offensive,” particularly when she referred to certain groups.

The university emphasized its commitment to faculty academic freedom and students’ rights to education free from impermissible evaluation standards. It stated it will continue reviewing best practices for objective grading.