A California-based history professor is being investigated for "serious misconduct" after handing out chocolate bars with pronouns on the packaging.
David Richardson, a tenured history professor at Madera Community College, offered attendees She/Her and He/Him chocolate bars from conservative media outlet Daily Wire's brand Jeremy's Chocolates at an Apr. 29 open house.
Richardson, who is a self-described gay conservative, said the college's human resources wrote a letter regarding the matter which was delivered "by a uniformed police officer" to his home on Monday in a statement to Just the News.
The State Center Community College District (SCCCD) informed Richardson, who has been employed at the college for nearly 33 years, that he had been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into unspecified allegations of creating a "hostile work environment" along with reportedly harassing and discriminating against colleagues "based on gender."
The history professor said he had some Jeremy's Chocolate he "wasn't sure what he was going to do with" and decided to hand them out while at a history table during the open house. During the event, one staff member reportedly took pictures of the chocolate bars and attempted to "bait" Richardson, though no action was taken against the history professor until Monday.
While Richardson is under investigation, he is reportedly banned from "non-public" areas of the district. The tenured history professor is also prohibited from using his Madera email along with engaging in "any action which could be construed as retaliation against anyone," according to the letter, per the outlet.
Richardson was previously under investigation regarding an October 2021 "pronoun etiquette" seminar held by a transgender-identifying chemistry professor. The history professor was reportedly seeking legal recourse against SCCCD regarding the previous investigation, Just the News reported.
According to Richardson's initial lawsuit against SCCCD, the history professor was reportedly found guilty of "unprofessional conduct" during a Zoom call for using pronouns "Do, RE, Mi" on a thumbnail used to mark gender identity.
The incorporation of pronouns mandated an "irrational perception of reality," the suit says.
Richardson's lawyer will reportedly file an amended complaint to address the college's latest investigation.
In March, the Daily Wire announced Jeremy's Chocolate, a product extension of the outlet's Jeremy's Razors brand introduced last year, featuring a milk chocolate bar along with a milk chocolate with nuts option similar to Hershey’s staple candy bar.
“The people asked and we answered,” said Daily Wire co-CEO Jeremy Boreing in a press release issued to Timcast News. “Thanks to Jeremy’s Chocolate, you can stop eating chocolate that hates you. Harry’s Razors hates you. Disney hates you. And now, Hershey’s hates you. As long as corporations and institutions across America continue to alienate half the country, The Daily Wire will continue building alternatives. Stop giving your money to woke chocolate companies that hate you.”
“They’ve hired a biological male to be the spokesperson for their Women’s Day campaign,” Boreing continued, referencing the appearance of Fae Johnstone, who identifies as a transgender woman and appears in Hershey’s “her for she” campaign. “It’s humiliating, and it’s the reason that I’m launching Jeremy’s Chocolate.”
Hershey’s received backlash from fans as social media erupted with #HersheysHatesWomen and #BoycottHersheys. Johnstone, who is a self-described “2SLGBTQUIA+ Advocate,” has previously expressed support for placing biological males who identify as women in women’s prisons.
