TPM reports: “A ‘barbarian horde’ of LGBT-rights activists traveled to Marcus Bachmann’s counseling center in Minnesota Thursday, chanted lyrics from a Lady Gaga song, demanded to see Bachmman and when he didn’t show up, glittered the waiting room.”
These are the same people who have previously glittered Newt Gingrich, and attempted to glitter Marcus’ wife, Rep. Michele Bachmann.
While this sort of activism is certainly provocative (it ranks right up there with a pie in the face), one wonders if it is helpful. Gays have recently made tremendous gains in terms of mainstream acceptance. And this has probably had more to do with “Will & Grace” than with GLAAD or the Human Rights Campaign.
Count GOProud’s Christopher Barron among those who believe radical liberal activists are actually harming the gay rights movement. Regarding the “barbarian horde,” he told me: “No rational person can look at that behavior and think that this is actually good for average gay people. All it does is reinforce the worst, most negative, nasty stereotypes about gay people.”
Barron believes these activists are more concerned with garnering attention, raising money, or scoring partisan political points than with winning hearts and minds.
“The most courageous gay people in this country are the ones out there in their everyday lives, coming out, telling their stories, and living openly and honestly,” he said. “And it disgusts me that this handful of extremists would set back the hard work that has been done by the really courageous gay people in this country.”
“This is an effort by left-wing forces in this country to undermine the tea party. They’ve done it on race, they’ve done it on gender — and now they’re doing it to sexual orientation,” he added.
Rather than dressing up like barbarians and throwing glitter, GOProud has sought to meet with Bachmann. Barron tells me he has been communicating with Bachmann’s office, and that he is very optimistic a meeting will take place.