Glitter Bomb Activist Leads 'Barbarian' Throng to Bachmann's Door

Gay equality advocates dressed in tunics and other rustic garb converged on a Minneapolis Christian counseling clinic run by Marcus Bachmann, the husband of anti-gay politician and Republican presidential nomination hopeful Michele Bachmann, on July 21, reported ColumbusGoHome.com that same day.

A recording of Marcus Bachmann telling a Christian radio station last year that gays are "barbarians" and need "discipline" and "action steps" surfaced as Michele Bachmann rose in prominence among a crowded field of Republican contenders. The clinic has received well over $100,000 in federal and state money, a boon that critics say conflicts with Michele Bachmann's stated ideology of smaller government that does not dole out cash through entitlement programs.

Moreover, GLBT equality advocates worry that the money may have gone toward the practice of so-called "reparative therapy," a faith-based approach to homosexuality that purports to "cure" gays, but which reputable mental health experts warn might actually do much more harm than good.

The activists who showed up at Bachmann's clinic in "barbarian" garb asked for Marcus Bachmann to subject them to "discipline," the article said, but when he did not appear, they threw glitter and chanted, "You can't pray away the gay -- baby, I was born this way!"

The former part of the chant is a slogan used by Truth Wins Out, an organization dedicated to countering the message offered by "ex gay" groups that claim being gay is the result of a variety of non-innate factors, including early life trauma and inadequate care by fathers.

Mounting medical evidence points to homosexuality as an innate and naturally occurring variance in human sexuality. Some factors that seem to be involved include genetics and in utero hormone levels, though no so-called "gay gene" has as yet been identified.

But statistically meaningful patterns have been observed, including homosexuality within families and a slightly higher prevalence of gay male children born to mothers who had previously given birth to boys. Moreover, differences in brain structure between heterosexuals and homosexuals have been noted.

The latter part of the chant was a reference to a popular song, "Born This Way," by gay icon Lady Gaga.

The article noted that the "barbarian horde" was led by Nick Espinosa, who started something of a trend in "glitter bombing" high-profile anti-gay personalities. Espinosa threw glitter on Newt Gingrich in May

Gay equality activists have also glittered Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty, like Bachmann, is an anti-gay Republican contender for the 2012 nomination who opposes legal equality for same-sex couples.

Unlike hurling a pie into someone's face, glittering is not definitely assault, though the legal ramifications have yet to be set by legal precedent. To date, no charges have been leveled in glitter actions. Espinosa told the Associated Press in a June 23 article that anti-gay politicians would not wish to risk public ridicule by pressing charges against glitter throwers. Espinosa also called glittering ""a silly and fun action, with a serious message behind it."

During the action at Bachmann's clinic, Espinosa, 24, declared, "I think it's clear to everyone who the real barbarians are, based on the Bachmann's archaic views on LGBT equality."

The GLBT press picked up on the glittering of Bachmann's clinic, but so did the mainstream media. British newspaper the Daily Mail ran a July 22 article in which it summed up the action.

"The group, aptly dressed in camp barbarian costumes, descended on the clinic demanding to speak to the 55-year-old," the article said. "When they were told he was not available, they shouted: 'We need to be disciplined, we need to see Marcus. If he isn't going to come out we will have to act like barbarians.' "

Both the Daily Mail and the New York Daily News, which also reported on the "barbarian" action at Bachmann's clinic, also noted that following recent headlines regarding his comments on the radio broadcast, Marcus Bachmann has claimed that the recording was changed and made to sound as though he were casting a blanket slur toward gays.