Rapper Killer Mike, who is currently touring historically black colleges with the Bernie Sanders campaign, is on the defense after making a controversial and sexist remark about Hillary Clinton at a recent Sanders rally.

"When people tell us, 'Hold on, wait awhile.' And that's what the other Democrat is telling you, 'Hold on, Black Lives Matter. Just wait awhile.' 'Hold on, young people in this country, just wait awhile,'" the rapper said to a crowd at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Tuesday evening, criticizing Clinton's record on criminal justice and race. "And then, and then she — she get good, she have your own mama come to you. Your own mama say to you, 'Well, you're a woman.' But I talked to Jane Elliott a few weeks ago, and Jane said, 'Michael, a uterus doesn't qualify you to be president of the United States. You have to be — you have to have policy that's reflective of social justice.'"

The line about the uterus spread like wildfire across Twitter. The rapper was quick to defend himself, putting it back into context and reiterating that the words were said by a prominent female social justice activist.

But even with context, what Killer Mike said is dismissive and reductive of both Clinton and the people who support her. The rapper's comments are disappointing because he is supposed to be one of the good guys. He's a man who gets it. In January, after several women accused music publicist Heathcliff Berru of sexual assault, the rapper publicly cut ties with Berru and then he called on other men to do the same. "I stand in solidarity with the women that have spoke out," he wrote in a Facebook post. "Men have to be able to tell our friends and peers when they're wrong. We cannot just say, it's not my problem. We can't expect ppl to improve if we're not willing to hold them accountable and push them to be better."

But with his comments Tuesday night and the handling of the subsequent backlash, the rapper has demonstrated that his willingness to listen to women has its limits. What's particularly ironic about his speech is male politicians have been telling women to "hold on" for centuries and wait their turn too.

In response to the uproar, Killer Mike on Tuesday evening ran through a predictable defense of someone who's been called out for sexist language: He listed a litany of women he would support were they running (but of course, those women are not running, so it's hypothetical); he hid behind the "but a woman said it!" defense as if women never say controversial or sexist things too; and the icing on the cake — that he's on the losing end of a sexist double standard.

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@MichaelSkolnik not an "attack" but a quite from another progressive woman to me. I don't attack — Killer Mike (@KillerMike) February 17, 2016

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@MichaelSkolnik @Zeroxmachina it was considering the woman was explaining why simple gender association is NOT Enuff to give your vote for — Killer Mike (@KillerMike) February 17, 2016





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So Women are being told to not vote Hillary is sex betrayal & Becuz another progressive woman says something disagreeing I'm sexist. Lmfao — Killer Mike (@KillerMike) February 17, 2016

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I wud gladly see Any one who can lead this country on behalf of the worker lead. Cynthia McKinney, Elizabeth Warren, Connie Rice. I'm ready — Killer Mike (@KillerMike) February 17, 2016

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But i don't and never will Hate or think less of woman. Sen. Nina Turner is my Next Great Political Champ but I'm sorry No HRC for me. — Killer Mike (@KillerMike) February 17, 2016

NARAL, the abortion rights group that has endorsed Clinton, condemned the comments as sexist:

The Sanders campaign has defended the rapper's comments, however. Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said the Vermont senator "doesn't believe gender should be a reason to vote for or against someone."

"That's the point Mike was making when he quoted Jane Elliott, the internationally known educator," said Briggs, who dismissed the controversy as "gotcha politics."

But that's not entirely fair. When electing a qualified politician in a country where only 18 percent of Congress is female, it's totally valid to consider Clinton's gender as a positive. It's also disingenuous and reductive for Killer Mike to say that women who consider gender important are blindly voting with their uteruses. Gender is one factor among many, and some women are excited about a female candidate whom they view as electable and competent. How much gender matters, and where it stands on their list of pros and cons when considering a candidate is deeply personal and political — but shaming voters for putting it down on that list as a legitimate political consideration only perpetuates sexism.

Sanders's policies are very feminist and woman-friendly, but his political career has no doubt benefitted by virtue of being a white man — and having a feminist man in office does not guarantee a breakup of the White House boys club. Women have every right to hope Sanders will be the leader America needs for lasting social change. But they have every reason to hope that Clinton could create meaningful change for them too, and they are not simple-minded for thinking so.

Follow Prachi on Twitter.

Prachi Gupta Prachi Gupta is an award-winning journalist based in New York.

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