Firing of trans counselor awakens community

 - by Adèle Marie-Alix
   OpEd

“Good afternoon, I am contacting you to let you know that Paula Schonauer, LCSW, has left her position at Oklahoma City University,” read the email quietly dropped into student inboxes on Tuesday, September 23rd, depicting a routine departure.

Within hours, the truth would surface. Schonauer, a licensed therapist, advocate, author, decorated veteran who served 20 years in the Oklahoma City Police Department, proud transgender woman, and beloved community member, had not “left” her position at all.

She had been fired.

Before her termination, Schonauer had become the subject of escalating online harassment after posting personal reflections on Facebook regarding the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, a man whose influence rested on manufacturing moral panic and turning vulnerable communities into enemies of the state.

Schonauer wrote, “As a target of Charlie Kirk, I must admit there is a grudging satisfaction that one who has wielded hate and stochastic terrorism is getting a taste of his own medicine. As a citizen of the United States appalled by gun violence, I offer him my thoughts and prayers. Sorry, that’s the best I can do.”

Soon after, her words were reposted by Libs of TikTok, an extremist social media page notorious for targeting LGBTQ+ people. The page is run by Chaya Raichik, an influencer appointed by Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters to the state’s library media advisory in January of 2024. The repost Raichik made, which misgendered Schonauer and labeled her “mentally ill,” went viral, amassing nearly 40,000 likes and unleashing a torrent of hate.

Schonauer was doxed. Threats poured in. Hundreds flooded Oklahoma City University’s phones, inboxes, and social media pages, demanding her removal.

“FIRE THE SATANIC MAN NOW!” one comment read.

“You have a plague at your institution that needs to be removed IMMEDIATELY!” read another.

“The alphabet crowd is DANGEROUS. Paula Sophia Schonauer is a PRIME example of this.”

Rather than defend their employee from an orchestrated smear campaign of transphobic harassment, Oklahoma City University capitulated to bullying. Schonauer was terminated within days. The university has declined to issue a clear explanation for her dismissal, but Schonauer later confirmed her firing was connected to her social media post.

For queer and trans students, Schonauer’s termination was not a mere bureaucratic change; it was a devastating breach of trust. The University Counseling Center has long been a refuge for those seeking mental health support in an increasingly hostile state. By removing one of the few visible trans professionals on OCU’s campus, the administration sent a clear message: public pressure from hate groups outweighs the safety and dignity of its LGBTQ+ students.

In the days leading up to her termination, Schonauer spoke openly with concerned clients about the harassment she was facing. She expressed relief that the university had been supportive and assured those around her that she would remain at OCU. That relief was short-lived.

Within twenty-four hours, a petition began circulating—one I authored—addressed to President Kenneth Evans. “In silencing Ms. Paula Schonauer,” it read, “the university has not only dismissed a gifted healer, but also betrayed the very principles of higher learning: truth, integrity, and the free exchange of ideas.”

The petition quickly gained traction, surpassing 1,000 signatures, and inspired a campus gathering titled the “Paula Petition Party,” where students, alumni, and Oklahoma City community members rallied in support. Speakers included Sara Cunningham, founder of Free Mom Hugs; Kylan Durant, President of the Oklahoma Pride Alliance and COO of Diversity Center of OK; and Reverend Kayla Bonewell of Church of the Open Arms.

“This is not the first time that [Paula’s] community has come against her for her identity,” said Durant, an Oklahoma City University alum. “Many of us saw, several times in our newspapers, the scrutiny she was under as a trans woman who worked for the Oklahoma City Police Department. Now here she is again, experiencing such a high level of scrutiny by her employer, which in this case is Oklahoma City University.”

The message of solidarity carried through the evening. “At the heart of it, this is about the shared humanity of a community,” said Cunningham, a longtime friend of Schonaeur. “Free speech is not a privilege for some; it’s a right for all. When one voice is silenced, all are diminished.”

Reverend Bonewell, another OCU alum, closed the speeches with a plea for accountability. “I wrote a letter to the president… asking for bold leadership in the face of terrorists. I asked the president to prayerfully reconsider his actions, or the actions of the board, or whoever is ultimately responsible for this miscarriage of justice, and to make restitution to Paula. To do better for our OCU and the Oklahoma City community. I have yet to hear back.”

University faculty have also taken action. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee sent a letter to President Evans expressing deep concern with both Schonauer’s firing and its broader implications for free speech and mental health support. The committee emphasized that OCU’s staff handbook includes no policy restricting personal social media use and that the university’s actions appeared “inconsistent and without policy-based justification.”

The Counseling Center’s leadership void has already created ripples. Students report being cut off from care or being referred to off-campus services—an unaffordable and inaccessible option for many.

During my speech at the petitioning event, I said what many of us felt: “To suddenly rip students away from their therapist is not just unprofessional, it is dangerous. You are playing with people’s lives and their will to live.”

The truth is, OCU’s administration had a choice. They could have stood courageous in the face of hate, reaffirming the university’s duty to queer and trans lives, to academic freedom, and to student safety.

Instead, they chose cowardice and complicity.

“President Evans, I sincerely look forward to meeting you,” I voiced at the end of my speech. “And the OCU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and Oklahoma City residents who stand behind this cause are all eager to see what legacy you choose for Oklahoma City University.”

Weeks later, and after agreeing to converse with student organizers, the Office of the President has yet to set a meeting date. Their response, as of now, is that they are still “reviewing calendars.” In the meantime, LGBTQ+ students are left to wonder if our lives, and the professionals who care for us, are expendable when political pressure mounts.

This is no longer a question of policy or procedure. It is a question of integrity.

Will the university be remembered for its silence, or for its spine?

So far, the answer is clear: Oklahoma City University has demonstrated that it has none.

This is a developing story. To join the call for justice, contact Adèle Marie-Alix (@adelemariealix on all platforms, petitionsforpaula@gmail.com) for more details.

The Gayly online. 11/09/2025 @ 8:36 a.m. CST.