The Cornell Botanic Gardens is hosting a non-inclusive transphobic event called Tiny Worlds: Build Your Own Terrarium on May 13.

According to the website:

Celebrate National Public Gardens Week with this hands-on workshop, with step-by-step guidance on creating a healthy small terrarium of your very own. Learn a bit of history about terrariums, as well as the difference between an open and a closed terrarium. We’ll demonstrate the best methods for layering your terrarium and offer tips on caring for and maintaining your new creation once you take it home. Terrariums will be created in 32-ounce glass jars. Makes a perfect gift for Mother’s Day! All materials included. 

Can you believe it? They are flaunting the gender role-specific term “mother.”

The Cornell Botanic Garden is showing its privilege, ignoring President Biden’s use of the phrase “birthing people” in the 2022 budget, and is further marginalizing POC such as Representative Cori Bush by using the term “mother.”

The use of the word “mother” is a microaggression.

NARAL Pro-Choice America that believes that Freedom is for Everybody explains:

“When we talk about birthing people, we’re being inclusive. It’s that simple. We use gender neutral language when talking about pregnancy, because it’s not just cis-gender women that can get pregnant and give birth. Reproductive freedom is for *every* body.”

We at the Babbling Bear seek an apology from the Cornell Botanic Gardens and insist that they reimagine the Tiny Worlds: Build Your Own Terrarium event using inclusive language.

Otherwise, we will have to keep our commitment to diversity & inclusion and to creating an inclusive climate for all by reporting this egregious microaggression using Cornell’s Bias Incident Reporting System.