Michele Bachmann, Republican candidate
for president, on Friday addressed the California Republican
convention in Los Angeles, where a flash mob of gay rights supporters
protested the Minnesota congresswoman's appearance.
About 60 members of the gay rights
group Courage Campaign gathered outside the JW Marriott hotel in
downtown Los Angeles.
“Michele Bachmann, you can't pray the
gay away,” one man yelled from one end of the plaza.
“That's right, we're queer and we're
not going anywhere,” yelled a second man from the opposite side of
the plaza.
The two men walked toward the center of
the plaza, where they began dancing to Madonna's Like A Prayer.
Other members quickly joined in the dancing. (The video is embedded
in the right panel of this page.)
Bachmann's family clinic run by her
husband, Marcus Bachmann, has been accused of attempting to “cure”
gay people of their sexuality. While Mr. Bachmann has claimed his
clinic only offers “reparative therapy” to those who seek it, an
underground investigation found “ex-gay” minister Janet Boyne's
book Called Out on
sale inside the clinic along with a typewritten note from Mr.
Bachmann: “Janet is a friend. I recommend this book as she speaks
to the heart of the matter and gives practical insights of truth to
set people free.”
Michele Bachmann also put in an
appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show, where
she reiterated her stance against gay marriage.