Vice President Kamala Harris hosted an event where she and her guests introduced themselves to each other with their names, pronouns and descriptions of their clothes. This drew both ridicule and defense online from media members.
Harris moderated a roundtable discussion about Roe v. Wade’s overturning and the effects it had on disabled people.
“Good afternoon. These leaders are welcome to join me in welcoming them to this important conversation about some of our most pressing issues. Kamala Harris is my name, her and she are my pronouns. “I am a woman who sits at the table in a blue suit,” said a masked Harris while introducing herself.
Others at the table described themselves as “I am a Latina with blonde highlighted hair and I’m wearing gray blazer over black-shade gown.” “My pronouns for she/her are she/he, I am a White woman with long, brown hair and I’m wearing red dresses and a transparent mask so you can see all my red lips.” Another participant said that she was a Black woman with curly hair and was wearing a vintage black and floral gown.
Conservatives often make fun of liberals for sharing their gender pronouns. This clip was a hit with them. On Twitter, it’s not uncommon for progressives to share their pronouns within their bios.
The video clip was also noticed by the Republican Party’s Twitter account RNC Research. Some journalists and activists criticized Harris and her compatriots for not accommodating visually impaired people.
CNN’s DJ Judd noted that Harris was being criticized by the GOP and wrote: “Vice President Kamala Harris introduced herself with her pronouns, a physical description, in an effort to accommodate blind and visually impaired participants in today’s roundtable discussion with disability advocates– something the RNC mocks her for.”
Roundtable discussion focused on the Supreme Court’s recent abortion decision, and how access to abortion would affect disabled people.