Rep. Lauren Boebert, (R-CO) at the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) has introduced a resolution to censure Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) for her “racist” and “ableist” comment criticizing Rep. Al Green (D-TX) for interrupting President Donald Trump’s congressional address last week.
During her Friday appearance with the right-wing media broadcaster Real America’s Voice, Boebert said, “Al Green was given multiple opportunities to stand down, to sit down, to behave, to show decorum. And he did not,” adding, “For him to go and shake his pimp cane at President Trump was absolutely abhorrent.”
Related:
Green is a disabled 77-year-old who uses a cane as an assistive mobile device. He shook his cane at Trump during the congressional address to tell Trump that he has no “mandate” to cut Medicare, a federal health program that assists poor Americans. House Republicans recently censured him for his actions, with support from 10 Democrats who predominantly represent conservative-leaning districts.
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Green’s cane is black and topped with a metallic golden grip. There’s nothing about its appearance that suggests any connotation with literal pimps, a criminal term for individuals who control sex workers and take a portion of their earned wages.
The progressive media site The Tennessee Holler criticized Boebert’s comment, calling it “effortless racism.”
One Bluesky user commented, “It’s not a pimp cane. It’s a cane. Al Green is a politician who uses a tool to help him walk, just like many of his constituents who are dependent on Medicaid assistance. Lauren Boebert is being ableist with her statements.”
It’s not a pimp cane. It’s a cane.
Al Green is a politician who uses a tool to help him walk, just like many of his constituents who are dependent on Medicaid assistance.
Lauren Boebert is being ableist with her statements.
Rep. Houlahan introduced a resolution on Monday which states, “The words of the Representative from Colorado are disparaging, derogatory, and racist toward another colleague, and are a breach of proper conduct and decorum of the U.S. House of Representatives.”
It’s unlikely that Houlahan’s resolution will pass in the Republican-controlled legislative chamber.
In 20th century Blaxploitation films, villainous pimps characters carried canes as a symbol of their swagger, power, and status, according to the cane retail site Stick Your Cane. While some marginalized communities have tried to reclaim canes as a symbol of resistance and empowerment, the site says, references to “pimp canes” can still perpetuate harmful stereotypes and glamorize exploitation.
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