The University of Oklahoma has placed a graduate student instructor on leave after they gave a student a failing grade for a gender-roles essay that appeared to be based on an interpretation of Christian Bible theology.

The student “publicly contested” the grade and “filed an illegal discrimination claim,” according to OU Daily, the university’s student-run news outlet.

She “says the failing grade she received on an essay where she cited the Bible was a violation of her right to free speech,” The Oklahoman reported. The news outlet also published the essay, which read in part:

“God made male and female and made us differently from each other on purpose and for a purpose. God is very intentional with what He makes, and I believe trying to change that would only do more harm. Gender roles and tendencies should not be considered ‘stereotypes’.”

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The student also wrote that “Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts. 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. He intentionally created women differently than men and we should live our lives with that in mind.”

In notes to the student, also published by The Oklahoman, the instructor wrote:

“Please note that l am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs, but instead l am deducting point[s] for you posting a reaction paper that 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.”

“Additionally, to call an entire group of people ‘demonic’ is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population,” the instructor added.

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The student had also written:

“I strongly disagree with the idea from the article that encouraging acceptance of diverse gender expressions could improve students’ confidence. 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. I do not want kids to be teased or bullied in school. However, pushing the lie that everyone has their own truth and everyone can do whatever they want and be whoever they want is not biblical whatsoever.”

According to The New York Post, the course was “taught by a transgender instructor.” The Post also reported that the student “presented a biblically fueled tirade against the notion that there are multiple genders.”

In a public statement, the University wrote that it “takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms. Upon receiving notice from the student on the grading of an assignment, the University immediately began a full review of the situation and has acted swiftly to address the matter.”

The ACLU’s Gillian Branstetter, from a personal social media account, responded to the University’s statement and wrote: “The other side of the anti-DEI coin. Positions and accolades given to members of out-groups will be presumptively fraudulent while members of in-groups are given transparent pity grades and participation trophies. They’re creating the myth they sold themselves.”

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Image via Shuttertock

A Fox News host is urging viewers to defend America’s “western Christian culture” and to think “communism” whenever they hear about feminism or secularism.

Rachel Campos-Duffy, a “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host, told viewers on Monday, “I think it’s really up to us to reclaim our culture.”

“We can sit and complain about it, but when we give in to those atheist groups that keep suing, we should come right back — this is our culture,” she said. “I’m not going to let, you know, pro-Palestinian or whatever they’re putting forward — these are all fronts for, you know, whenever you see any of these groups, just think feminism, secularism, just think communism. This is what they’re really about.”

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“It’s always been about communism,” Campos-Duffy insisted.

“Making the state the center, removing the power of religion and family from our culture. It’s up to us to make sure that our culture remains what it is, which is a Western Christian culture with a beautiful history that we have in this country, and that we have to defend these things every single day, especially with our children.”

Campos-Duffy has a history of targeting feminism.

“Feminists like Hillary Clinton have robbed women of so much over the years, of minimizing the importance of what our purpose as mothers and as wives, and, I think, and really demeaning it and saying that it’s not the most important,” she said in September.

“Always remember that feminism has never been about women. It’s always been about ABORTION and COMMUNISM,” she wrote in 2023.

Duffy: When you see these groups..feminism, secularism, just think communism. It has always been about communism, removing power of religion and family from our culture and it is up to us to make sure our culture remains what it is, a western Christian culture pic.twitter.com/KO6rA5m6IF

— Acyn (@Acyn) December 1, 2025

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Consumers reportedly placed fewer orders on Black Friday, yet another indication that consumer confidence is down. Despite the decrease, sales hit record highs, thanks in part to inflation and increased use of credit, including “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) programs. But the White House sees “good news” in the numbers.

“Although U.S. consumers spent more this Black Friday compared to last year,” Reuters reported, “price increases hampered online demand, according to Salesforce, with shoppers purchasing fewer items at checkout compared to last year.”

Newsweek, citing data from Salesforce published by Forbes, reported that “order volume fell by about 1 percent year over year, while average selling prices were up 7 percent—indicating that much of the growth was caused by inflation rather than any uptick in shopping enthusiasm.”

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Overall, the “underlying details about spending patterns suggest this may not have been the economic boon the administration believes.”

According to Politico, “White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Sunday that record Black Friday sales underscore the administration’s optimism on economic growth despite concerns around tariffs and inflation.”

Hassett cited Black Friday’s sales numbers “as a sign of economic resilience,” Politico added.

“The good news around Thanksgiving is the sign of something that’s stronger to come,” Hassett said on Sunday. “I think the reason is that incomes are up this year is, we had a great jobs report, and with strong income and the government shutdown over so that people have pent-up demand as well, I think that we’re looking at a great recovery from a weak few weeks because of the shutdown.”

The jobless rate increased to 4.4%, the highest it’s been in almost four years.

Meanwhile, BNPL programs, including those from Klarna and Affirm, were forecast to account for over $760 million in Black Friday spending, Newsweek noted, citing data from Adobe. Overall, for November and December, use of those programs is expected to increase by 11 percent from last year.

CNN over the weekend called BNPL programs “an important payment option for consumers this holiday season.”

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Image via Reuters