First lady Michelle Obama was met with a heckler Tuesday evening at a Democratic National Committee event in Washington, D.C.
A gay rights activist standing near the front of the audience began shouting for an executive order on gay rights, according to the White House pool report.
“One of the things I don’t do well is this,” Obama responded to approval from the audience.
The pool reported that Obama left the lectern toward the protestor saying that they could “listen to me or you can take the mic, but I’m leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.”
The Democratic audience begged the first lady to stay, with one woman telling the protester,” You need to go.”
The protester was escorted from the proceedings, shouting about federal equality for lesbians. (RELATED: First lady heckler speaks out: Michelle ‘came right down in my face’)
The official White House transcript of the first lady’s remarks did not include the portion of the event during which Obama threatened to leave, it did include the protester’s remarks.
The official transcript reads:
So here’s the thing — we cannot wait for the next presidential election to get fired up and ready to go. We cannot wait. Right now, today, we have an obligation to stand up for those kids. And I don’t care what you believe in, we don’t —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
MRS. OBAMA: Wait, wait, wait. One of the things —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
MRS. OBAMA: One of the things that I don’t do well is this. (Applause.) Do you understand? (Applause.) One of the things — now —
(Inaudible audience interruption.)
MRS. OBAMA: So let me make the point that I was making before: We are here for our kids. (Applause.) So we must recapture that passion, that same urgency and energy that we felt back in 2008 and 2012. Understand this. This is what I want you all to understand, this is not about us — no one back here. It’s not about you or you, or your issue or your thing. This is about our children. (Applause.)
Later in the evening, the pool reported that Heather Cronk, co-director of the pro-LGBT rights group GetEQUAL identified the protester as one of their activists, Ellen Sturtz, who was calling for an executive order to prohibit sex discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Cronk added that three other GetEQUAL activists were also at the event, two of whom are college students.
