Sean Spicer mocks Nancy Pelosi using gendered words in Twitter bio

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer called out Nancy Pelosi for describing herself as a mother and grandmother in her Twitter bio – after helping pass a House ban on gender-related language.  

Spicer, who served a seven-month stint as President Donald Trump’s first press secretary in 2017, waded back into the political fray on Instagram on Monday with his jab at House Speaker Pelosi. 

It came hours after the House passed new rules prohibiting gendered words – including mother and grandmother, which Pelosi uses to describe herself on Twitter.  

Spicer took a screengrab of the bio and circled the offending words, writing: ‘Ut oh. Nancy Pelosi’s twitter bio is in violation of her new House rules that prohibit gender specific terms.’  

Contrary to Spicer’s assertion, Pelosi’s bio does not violate the new rules, which do not prohibit representatives from using gendered terms, but ordered for them to be removed from ‘official’ House language.  

But several commenters on Spicer’s post said Pelosi’s public use of the terms is hypocritical, given that the Democrat leader was part of the majority which approved the new rules on Monday in a 217-206 party-line vote.  

‘They made the rules, they brake the rules! [sic]’ one person commented. 

‘Pelosi is just a bad punch line in a worse joke!’ another added.  

‘What a joke and of course the rules do not apply to ol’ Nancy,’ a third person wrote with an eyeroll emoji.  

Democrats said the changes, which came just as a record number of LGBTQ lawmakers were sworn into Congress, are meant to ‘honor all gender identities’. 

But they’ve faced significant push-back from critics who’ve called the changes frivolous at best and damaging at worst.  

Former Democratic Rep Tulsi Gabbard led the outrage over the changes on Monday night, saying that the rules essentially ignore the very existence of women.   

‘It’s the height of hypocrisy for people who claim to be the champions of rights for women to deny the biological existence of women,’ the former Hawaii congresswoman told Tucker Carlson. 

‘This recent rule change at the House voted and passed on today removes references to mothers and fathers, bothers and sisters and sons and daughters from congressional rules and administration, it’s mind blowing’. 

The new rules change ‘seamen’ to ‘seafarers,’ ‘chairman’ to ‘chair’ and ‘submit his or her resignation’ to ‘resigns.’ 

References to fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and in-laws are to be be changed to ‘parent, child, sibling, spouse, or parent-in-law,’ according to the resolution. 

Extended family members would be referred to as ‘child’s parent’ instead of aunt or uncle, stepparents, and siblings-in-law. 

‘It shows how out of touch with reality and the struggles of every day Americans people in Congress are,’ Gabbard said. 

‘Also as their first act, this new Congress could have been to make sure that elderly Americans are able to get the COVID vaccine now along side front line healthcare workers. 

‘Instead of doing something that could help save people’s lives, they are choosing instead to say you can’t say mother and father in this congressional language. It’s astounding.’ 

Evidence of the new rules could already be heard during the opening prayer which saw the words ‘Amen and A-woman’ uttered by Rep Emanuel Cleaver. 

In the past, Congress operated under a binary rule that ‘words importing one gender include the other as well’. 

‘Through months of consultation across our caucus and Congress, we have developed a rules package that makes the People’s House more accountable and responsive to all Americans,’ Pelosi wrote in a statement about the changes. 

The latest rules see a spectrum of gender identities being acknowledged as well as same-sex relationships.       

‘I don’t know how to explain what they think. It defies common sense. There is a biological distinction between men and women and boys and girls. It defies basic science,’ Gabbard said.

Several GOP lawmakers previously denounced the proposed change, including Rep Kevin McCarthy from California, who called it ‘stupid.’ 

McCarthy previously supported the Defense of Marriage Act in 2011, which outlawed same-sex marriage.