No, this isn’t fake news it’s a real passage from a legitimate academic textbook that’s sparked a genuine controversy in recent weeks. I’ll break down what I can tell you about the story, the book, and the context behind that sentence, based on reliable reports. I’ll aim to be clear and balanced here, as the wording has understandably upset a lot of people (including the student who first went viral about it). WATCH VIDEO ↓
Kelbie Murphy, a senior at the University of North Georgia and a devout Christian, got upset when she read the opening passage of Chapter 8 in her required International Public Relations textbook while studying for her class in mid-September 2025. She had paid about $100 for the book and felt personally attacked as a believer.
Here’s what specifically set her off, based on her own words from her viral TikTok video (over 400,000 views) and follow-up interviews:
The wording felt like an attack on her faith: She interpreted the list of “modifiers for identity” (corporate, sexual, digital, public, racial, national, brand, and even Christian a U.S.-based white supremacist group) as equating all of Christianity with white supremacy. In her TikTok, she read it aloud in disbelief, saying it made her “mind blown” and left her “p*** of”. She explicitly clarified on camera: “I am not a white supremacist,” emphasizing her hurt as a Christian who didn’t want her religion smeared like that.
It singled out Christianity unfairly: In a Fox News interview, she pointed out how the passage listed what she saw as “marginalized groups” (like racial or sexual identities) as neutral or positive, but then “only called Christians white supremacists” in the parenthetical note. She said this made it feel like Christianity was being uniquely villainized.
Right after reading it, her immediate reaction was raw hurt “My feelings were hurt, hearing that we’re allowed to publish books in America that blatantly are saying that Christianity is related to white supremacy.” She propped up her phone and filmed the video as a spontaneous vent, worried it could mislead non-Christians into seeing her faith as hateful. As someone inspired by her grandfather (a Baptist pastor) to stand firm in her beliefs, she called for the textbook to be edited or reevaluated, saying American academia needs a “definite reevaluation” to avoid this kind of bias.
She worried about “cancellation” for speaking out but did it anyway, and the video’s explosion (repurposed on X by @libsoftiktok for 1.7M+ views) amplified her frustration into a bigger call for accountability in education.
The Book and the Passage
The text you’re quoting comes from International Public Relations: Negotiating Culture, Identity, and Power (2nd edition, 2019), written by Patricia A. Curtin (a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and T. Kenn Gaither (a professor at Elon University).
Chapter 8, titled “Contested Identities: Shifting Publics in a Globalized World,” opens with this exact passage.
“Identity may be one of the most contentious words of the new millennium. An internet search produces the following modifiers for identity: corporate, sexual, digital, public, racial, national, brand, and even Christian (a U.S.-based white supremacist group).
The Story and the Controversy
This blew up in mid-September 2025 when Kelbie Murphy, a senior at the University of North Georgia (UNG), posted a TikTok video reacting to the book in her international PR class. She read the passage aloud (very similar to what you described, including the frustration and clarification that she’s a Christian and not a white supremacist). The video got millions of views, was amplified by conservative influencers, and led to coverage on Fox News, Instagram Reels, and Facebook posts from groups like the Gwinnett County Republicans. Murphy mentioned paying about $100 for the book and called for it to be edited or pulled from shelves, saying the wording felt like an attack on her faith.
Outlets like Fox News framed it as “a college student exposes pricey textbook calling her a white supremacist,” which fueled outrage among conservative audiences.
Authors’ Side: Neither Curtin nor Gaither has publicly responded yet (as of October 28, 2025),
The wording is definitely awkward and open to misinterpretation listing “Christian” alongside neutral terms like “corporate” or “brand,” then parenthetically calling it a supremacist group, without spelling out “Christian Identity.” That’s poor editing for an academic text, and it’s fair to feel shocked or defensive if you’re reading it cold, especially as a Christian student.
The phrasing in the book is sloppy and insensitive, and it’s totally valid to be pissed about shelling out $100 for a textbook that lands like a cheap shot at your faith.
We recognize how this mention could be misinterpreted, and we are reviewing the matter. The University of North Georgia respects people of all beliefs and unequivocally rejects all forms of hate.
They didn’t announce course changes (like pulling the book), but they did say they’re “reviewing the matter,” which could mean anything from a formal complaint process to chatting with the publisher. As of late October 2025, no updates on that review have dropped publicly.
That said, the student (Kelbie Murphy) has doubled down in follow-up interviews, saying the list format makes it feel like Christianity is being singled out as the “even” bad apple among “marginalized” identities like racial or sexual ones. She’s not wrong the parentheses make it read like a gotcha, and without the full “Identity Movement” spelled out, it invites the exact misread that’s fueling the fire. Conservative outlets like Fox and Gateway Pundit have run with her angle, framing it as anti-Christian bias in academia, and that’s resonated big time (her original TikTok has over 5 million views now).
If UNG’s response feels too soft, Murphy’s pushed for an edit or apology from the authors, and some alumni/parents have emailed the provost demanding the book get yanked. No “cancellations” yet, but the story’s still bubbling keep an eye on UNG’s site for review updates.
