GA at Center of Fulnecky Controversy Finally Speaks…

Five months later, and we’re finally getting the other side of the Samantha Fulnecky test-grading controversy that turned the OU student into an overnight right-wing social media influencer.

Remember that one?

Fulnecky – a young, nubile conservative college student raised by ultra-right-wing, somewhat whacko activist parents – mailed in an essay question about gender for a psychology class and, instead of actually doing the assignment, turned in a hastily assembled manifesto that labeled transgender people as “demonic” and confidently declared there are only two genders because, apparently, God said so.

Naturally, the graduate assistant grading the test – Mel Curth – happened to be transgender and gave Fulnecky an F, setting off a completely predictable media firestorm that ended with Fulnecky becoming a right-wing FOLK hero and Curth, rightfully or wrongfully – depending on your political persuasion – finding herself out of a job.

While Fulnecky was overly eager to ride the publicity waves of controversy, speaking on any camera, stage, or morning show couch that would have her, Curth took a more Homer Simpson approach and slowly backed into the bushes, effectively going into hiding as her life and career were turned upside down.

Now, nearly half a year after the controversy first broke, Curth has finally opened up about it in an interview with… The Oklahoman:

Yep, that’s right.

Instead of picking CNN or MSNBC or NPR – or hopping on I’ve Had It to bitch about today’s entitled and terrifyingly empowered conservative college students – she chose to do her big, long-awaited, finally-breaking-her-silence interview with the local newspaper.

That’s kind of cool. Sure, she may not reach a fraction of the audience she would if she went on some national outlet or prestige podcast, but it’s nice to see her show a little class and self-respect and do the exact opposite of Fulnecky, someone who sold out to any media group that would have her.

That being said… for her next interview, can Curth at least choose a media outlet that has access to YouTube? I’d really like to share the entire interview, but it’s not available online, so I have to resort to out-of-context quotes like this:

Curth said the fact that she can search her name online and yield a countless number of hits is surreal. She recalled seeing fan cams on TikTok and one post on X that became an ongoing joke between her and her friend group.

"One of my favorite tweets fairly early on just said, 'Give Mel Curth one million dollars,'" Curth said. "I, of course, screenshotted that and shared it privately to some of my friends on social media, and it's kind of become a meme for us, that one tweet."

For giggles, I went out and found the tweet in question. Here it is:

Sadly enough, if Mel had pulled a Fulnecky and hit every cable show and podcast that would book her, she’d probably be halfway to a six-figure media career by now. Instead, she chose a local newspaper and basic self-respect – two things that, historically speaking, perform terribly on the internet.

Anyway, you can and should read the full story about Mel over at The Oklahoman. Hopefully her life returns to normal soon, and she can get back to grading papers that actually answer the question and not accidentally launching the next culture war.

Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.