Earlier this week, CNN hosted an LGBT+ town hall, at which candidates promised to strip the constitution of freedom of religion and speech, among other things.
CNN host Chris Cuomo introduced Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), and when she listed her “gender identification pronouns” as “she, her, and hers.” Cuomo responded, “mine too.”
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo cracked a tone-deaf joke at the network’s LGBTQ town hall debate Thursday night — sparking uproar on social media and prompting the anchor to issue an apology.Cuomo was welcoming Sen. Kamala Harris onstage in Los Angeles when the 2020 Democratic candidate told him, “My pronouns are she, her, and hers.”“She, her and hers? Mine too,” Cuomo replied with a smile, eliciting audible groans from the audience.“All right,” Harris finally replied, ending an awkward silence.Cuomo was quickly roasted on social media over the gaffe.“Dear @ChrisCuomo, people’s pronouns are not a punchline,” the National Center for Lesbian Rights tweeted.“In a year where LGBTQ Americans are finally being recognized on the national Presidential stage, making jokes about gender pronouns is beneath your dignity. Please do better in the future.”Josh Stickney, a spokesman for Equality California and Silver State Equality in Nevada, expressed his “incredible disappointment.”
Watch the exchange:
This video lays out the perceived problem that some in the LGBT+ community had with Cuomo’s “mine too” line:
The charge against Cuomo appears to be that he was “insensitive.”
Cuomo’s sin, however, is likely not “insensitivity.” Either he believed those were his pronouns, in which case he would be celebrated on any campus. Or he wasn’t paying attention (most likely), in which case he meant no offense. Or, as some people interpreted it, his sin was making a joke at the expense of the left’s construction of gender identity.
When called out for making an inappropriate joke, Cuomo didn’t even bother defending his choice here. Instead, he dutifully went directly to social media mob jail, did not collect his $200 in progressive cred, and groveled for forgiveness.
PLEASE READ: When Sen. Harris said her pronouns were she her and her’s, I said mine too. I should not have. I apologize. I am an ally of the LGBTQ community, and I am sorry because I am committed to helping us achieve equality. Thank you for watching our townhall.
For what exactly was Cuomo apologizing?
Another question in all this: How long before they come for Harris? She has some intersectionality cred, after all, but she didn’t push back against this purported horrific insensitivity. Instead, Harris said, “All right!” and moved on as if the entire foundation of freedom and democracy hadn’t just been compromised by a white cis male corporate media personality.
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