Anderson Cooper Mocked After Getting Corrected By Activist During Town Hall: ‘It’s They/Them’

The internet is going hard on CNN anchor Anderson Cooper for referring to a woman who prefers “they/them” pronouns as “she.”

The incident took place during a Bernie Sanders town hall event on Wednesday. Cooper introduced Democratic activist Grace Thomas by saying, “She’s a local civil rights attorney. She’s a Democrat.”

That inspired Thomas to reply, “It’s they/them pronouns, actually,” leading Cooper to respond with, “Oh.”

Thomas followed up by asking Cooper why the Democratic party is losing so many young male voters. Social media viewers were quick to suggest that the interaction between the activist and Cooper was a prime example of what’s going on.

“The best part is that right after scolding Anderson Cooper for not calling her ‘they,’ she asks a question about why Democrats are losing men,” one person observed on X.

“Anderson Cooper just misgendered a civil rights attorney,” another response said. “They are not serious. Keep on putting the pronoun police on camera, we will win every election.”

Former U.S. college swimmer Riley Gaines, who rose to national prominence by taking a stand against men infiltrating women’s sports, reacted by saying, “Calling for Anderson Cooper’s immediate resignation for believing what his eyes were telling him he saw. Bigot.”

Calling for Anderson Cooper's immediate resignation for believing what his eyes were telling him he saw

Bigotpic.twitter.com/GpaZML7irO

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) April 10, 2025

President Donald Trump capitalized on the Democrats’ extreme stance on gender issues while campaigning ahead of the 2024 election. One of his most popular political advertisements included the line, “Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you.”

While many Democrats fully support radical left-wing gender theory, the majority of American voters have taken a much more reserved approach to the issue, and are largely opposed to the most extreme suggestions, such as the idea of providing life-altering drugs and surgeries to children and allowing trans-identifying biological males to compete against women in sports, the Pew Research Center found. 

Some prominent Democrats are backing off the most extreme stances, including California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who is a potential presidential candidate in 2028. Newsom told Charlie Kirk during an interview last month that men in women’s sports is “an issue of fairness” that is “easy to call out.” 

Liberals blasted Newsom for backing down on the issue, while conservatives criticized him for trying to play both sides.