Rep. Robyn Porter to Dearly Beloved Neighbors: Call Me Ma, Mom, Mommy or Mother

State Representative Robyn Porter (D-New Haven) took a victory lap with an email to constituents that announced in its subject line, “Call Me Ma, Mom, Mommy or Mother.” Porter explained the memorable debate ignited by her modest proposal to add “expectant mother” to a bill before the Appropriations Committee.

The email is posted above. In its second paragraph, Porter expands on the debate that broke out over the meaning of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. She writes, “…DEI should not come at the expense of EXCLUDING the foundation creation–our mothers. So, to be told that the term [pregnant persons] is inclusive is blatantly inaccurate.” During her two pregnancies, Porter continues, she identified “as an expectant mother, not a pregnant person.”

Such was the power of Porter’s argument last week that stories published in Connecticut were picked up, as she notes in the conclusion to her email, by the Daily Mail and the New York Post–two publications Democratic legislators rarely send their constituent to.

One day perhaps Porter will regale constituents with the debate in the Democratic caucus that preceded Thursday’s meeting. The air, according to at least one participant, was thick with sanctimony.

Published April 9, 2024.