Simple solution... she should make up her own religion with a flamingo hat as official headgear.

All she has to do is found a religion that requires you to wear a flamingo hat.

Op you should tell her that as tragic as it is in some countries women get killd if they don't wear one. You can then evaluate her stupidity by listening to her response & then devide wether explaining it to her males sence or not.

Spirit week will be her friend

There is some hypocrisy involved when allowances are made to rules. I think the religious exemption is acceptable. He is just trying to use the flamingo hat to push the issue and cause you a problem. Kind of an ass move, but some civil liberties people insist on using their powers for evil.

She could have come up with something better than a flamingo hat.

Sorry I agree with the classmate. Call me an asshole if you must.

you can't reason out stupidity.

Sounds like discrimination. You're allowed to wear something your religion orders you to wear in order to be considered a member of the fantasy story about your god, but your friend isn't allowed to praise the Flamingo God? Now the Flaming God will be angry and will boot your friend out of the Flamingo God religion club.

sounds like your asshat of a classmate is just a religious racist and needs a physical lesson on how not to be