Conservatives lashed out at Vice President Kamala Harris after she introduced herself by mentioning her pronouns and the color of the suit she was wearing during a roundtable discussion commemorating the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and exploring the effects of the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court ruling on reproductive healthcare access for people living with disabilities.
Harris—whose pronouns are she/her and who described herself as "a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit"—was merely doing a public service for visually impaired viewers who benefit enormously from the inclusion of descriptions.
You can see a video of Harris describing her outfit for visually-impaired viewers below.
Harris was following recommendations put forward by institutions such as the Perkins School for the Blind, which encourage image descriptions that include the placement of objects in an image, image style, colors, names of people, clothes, animals, placement of text, emotions (such as smiling), and general surroundings.
But Harris's actions angered conservatives, and the Republican National Committee (RNC) went so far as to mock her after tweeting out video footage of the moment.
Right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh later commented on the video and argued that mockery is justifiable because he can "guarantee you don't introduce yourself in your daily life by describing your outfit."
Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert also commented on the video, calling the use of pronouns "idiotic."
She later suggested that Harris's speechwriter had quit their job and that she had been spending too much time with President Joe Biden, whom Boebert referred to as "Geriatric Joe."
But many came to Harris's defense.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) noted that visual descriptions "are an accessibility practice for blind and low-vision people."
The organization praised Harris, saying that it is "glad to see this accessibility practice expanded in government."
Others called out the GOP for attacking people with disabilities.
Harris has had even her smallest actions scrutinized since she took office, a sign, according to her supporters, of the culture of rampant sexism and misogyny in Washington that regularly disparages women in power.
Harris has often been targeted by sexist critics who have questioned her capacity for leadership since she joined Biden on the campaign trail.
An analysis published by Time's Up Now, an advocacy and legal defense group founded in the wake of the #MeToo movement, reported that a quarter of media coverage incorporated at least one racist or sexist stereotype, including the "angry Black woman" stereotype.
These attacks were so pervasive that the organization announced a "We Have Her Back Campaign" to counter sexist, misogynist coverage of Harris ahead of the 2020 general election.
