Gay Prof Suspended After Passing Out 'Transphobic' Chocolate at Campus Event
"A gay, conservative professor at Madera Community College in California was recently placed on leave after handing out Jeremy's Chocolate, sold by the Daily Wire, at an open house event on campus," reports The College Fix.
On May 8, tenured history Professor David Richardson said he received a letter from school officials stating he was being placed on administrative leave.
"Richardson had served Jeremy's Chocolate at an open house event at Madera Community College the previous week," writes The College Fix.
Fox News reports: "At a campus open house on April 29, Professor David Richardson of Madera Community College brought parody chocolate bars as snacks to share at his table display. The chocolate bars mock candy company Hershey's and are labeled with 'she/her' pronouns for nutless and 'he/him' " for bars with nuts. Richardson said a staff member was offended by the bars and tried to engage him in a confrontation, but he didn't engage as he did not want to 'make a scene' at the campus event."
He's been locked out of his school e-mail and barred from campus, with only two weeks to go until the end of the semester, he relayed to Fox News Digital. He said he's had no contact from the school.
"Jeremy's Chocolate was launched in March 2023 by conservative news site the Daily Wire after the Hershey's Company released an advertisement for International Women's Day that featured transgender woman and LGBT activist Fae Johnstone. Jeremy's Chocolate bars are labeled with the pronouns "He/Him" and "She/Her," the former of which have nuts in them and the latter of which do not," writes The College Fix.
The brand has been criticized for being transphobic.
"Richardson told The Fix in an interview Friday that the controversy stemmed from an exchange with a transgender staff member at Madera Community College, who demanded to know what the 'He/Him' and 'She/Her' pronoun labels on the chocolate bars meant."
"I ... said, 'You'll have to ask Jeremy,' " Richardson said he joked. "But it was clear to me that this particular staff member was trying to pick a fight."
He also said he was "taken aback" by the question and had a "deer in the headlights expression" before a colleague interrupted and helped mitigate the situation.
A week later, a letter of suspension was delivered by a uniformed police officer to Richardson's home, informing the professor he was being placed on leave and barred from stepping foot on campus, he said.
"As the British say, I was gobsmacked. I was floored," Richardson told The Fix.
Richardson said he would not apologize for his actions, despite pressure. "They pulled out this old argument that 'you have a thirty-plus year career, is this really how you want to be remembered?' And I almost wanted to say 'how dare you,' " Richardson said.
"I have done more for that college than any other single faculty member on that campus," he boasted. "And all of that gets wiped away, because I refuse to kowtow to violations of free speech and academic freedom?"
"Richardson has faced discipline from Madera Community College in the past," the College Fix recounted.
"In 2022, the professor filed a lawsuit against the school alleging a violation of his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights after he was told to complete a six-hour DEI training course."
Added The College Fix: "This was the result of the professor allegedly using gender pronouns 'mockingly,' Just the News reported."