[guest post by JVW, who is hooked on microaggressive headlines]

The president of Claremont McKenna College’s junior class appeared in a Halloween picture with two girls dressed in ponchos, sombreros, and fake mustaches, so naturally the college’s Dean of Students resigned from her job today.

Huh?

Well, this is actually apparently a conflation of a couple of separate but related incidents. The student, whom I won’t name because I don’t think her offense rises to the level of a crime against humanity, resigned her student government office earlier this week. Note that she didn’t wear a “culturally offensive” costume, she merely posed for a picture with two friends who did. If only these delicate sensibilities applied to Barack Obama’s relationship with Bill Ayres and Bernadette Dohrn.

Apparently Claremont McKenna has been a battlefield in the Enforced Tolerance Wars. Powerline published the tediously long grievance email message that a coalition of minority student groups had presented to the entire campus community. [I seriously challenge any Patterico’s Pontifications reader to slog through that prolix compendium of whiny claptrap. I’ll bet you can’t do it; I had to start skimming about one quarter in.] They accused the administration, personified in Dean of Students Mary Spellman, of not reacting forcibly enough to their grievances, with the Halloween photo apparently being the straw that broke the camel’s back. And to draw attention to their plight two students commenced upon — yes, you guessed it! — a hunger strike. Rather than playing out the string, Dean Spellman resigned earlier this afternoon.

It seems the only remaining question is which feckless cowering administrator will be next to fall upon his or her sword. I think we’re about to find out if the snake really can devour itself.

– JVW

[guest post by Dana]

The inevitable continues to happen: two Christian women who worked at a childcare center in Texas were fired for refusing to address a 6 year old transgender student by her newly assigned name, as well as refusing to teach children about transgenderism. The student in question had attended the school for four months as a girl, went home on a Friday, and returned Monday morning as a boy. As a result, Madeline Kirksey and Akesha Bogany Wyatt have filed a discrimination suit against Children’s Lighthouse Learning Center in Katy, Texas.

According to Kirksey’s lawyer, Adam Taylor:

[T]he child’s hair had been cut into a masculine style, and the formerly female student had been given a more classically masculine name.

Teachers gave out leaflets on ‘how to handle transgender students’, encouraging staff to advocate for the child, to help educate other students about transgender issues, and to ‘defend their dignity’.

However, Kirksey and Wyatt refused to go along with the name change, and said they felt uncomfortable speaking to other young children about transgender issues.

Kirksey added that she feels the male parents of the student are forcing the issue of gender on to their child, which she disagrees with.

Speaking to Fox News, she added: ‘I don’t think we should be talking to other people’s children who are under the age of 18 about being transgender.’

Kirksey and Wyatt, who is thought to broadly agree with her point of view, were fired shortly afterwards.

Taylor also claims that his client’s Christian beliefs were violated and plans on filing a filing a lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Wyatt’s lawyer claims:

‘My client’s sincere religious beliefs have been violated because she took a stand to protect the girl from being harassed and discriminated against.

‘She is now out of work for defending her faith and standing up for the innocence of children, and for believing that it is the role of parents to decide whether children should be educated about transgender issues.’

Of note: Adam Taylor is responsible for getting the controversial ‘bathroom bill’ put before voters in Texas, which was soundly defeated a week ago.

–Dana