Who fired a Nobel Prize laureate over a joke and why does he still have a job? Whoever fired him should be fired for damaging the company.
Humans, even Nobel Prize laureates, are mortal and will eventually leave, taking their talent with them. On the other hand, their influence will remain in the corporate culture, potentially forever. Apart from being less efficient overall - people are less likely to voice their good ideas or call out bad ones if they need to worry about being the next target - based on current trends it seems likely that it will also repulse future talent (and even current talent) as the world continues growing more inclusive. So cutting their losses seems like the rational thing to do.
Even special snowflakes are still just snowflakes.
Seriously, Political Correctness is fine and cute, but when it gets to getting shit done, it's time to stop the silly games and concentrate on what really matters.
So stop playing them. Stop wearing sexists shirts, stop telling racist jokes. Stop insisting other people endure you shoveling crap on them. But if you can't resist playing a power game, don't complain when other people - including your employer - refuse to let themselves be victimized.
Political Correctness is about focusing on the job, it's opponents are about forcing other people to eat their shit and pretend to like it. Stop being a gaping asshole and the whole issue won't have any effect on you, apart from making your environment less smelly.
Of course it hurts to give up a part of yourself, even if that part is composed of the leftover garbage from civilization's startup process. But the alternatives hurt even more. Sucks, but the prize is beating the odds and taking the stars.