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Daughter of a lesbian mom and activist Rachel E.B. Lang 'glitter bombed' conservative, antigay Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann Bachmann as she left the stage after her speech at the conservative RightOnline conference in Minneapolis to call attention to Bachmann's hateful "rhetoric and policy positions." Below Lang explains her reasons for glittering Bachmann. Lang would also like to encourage people to support Colage, the organization for "people with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer parent."
I’m Rachel E. B. Lang and today I “glittered” Representative Michele Bachmann to draw attention to her anti-gay crusade against families like yours and mine. As the proud daughter of a lesbian mom living in the state of Minnesota, I know first hand how harmful Michele’s anti-gay rhetoric and policy positions can be.
When I saw Bachmann today, I threw glitter in the air, and said, “You can run, but you cannot hide! Keep your hate out of our Constitution!” — a reference to the “You Can Run But You Cannot Hide” ministry for which Bachmann has helped raise money and to a proposed ban on same-sex marriage in Minnesota. The ministry, a brainchild of rabidly anti-gay Bradlee Dean, charges thousands of dollars to speak at public school assemblies and evangelize young people based on a shocking and offensive anti-gay program.
Bradlee Dean, the ministry’s founder and chief evangelist, was invited to give the opening prayer during the recent Minnesota legislative session that considered putting an anti-gay marriage amendment on the 2012 ballot. My mom is a Lutheran minister and has taught me the values of love and compassion that I so desperately wish Michele Bachmann and Bradlee Dean would cherish too.
Throwing glitter in the air was a fun, safe way to draw attention to some very serious issues. Young people deserve the right to feel safe and respected, and have their families reflected at school. And I deserve the right to see my lesbian mom get married one day! I’m not willing to be silent about the vicious attacks on families like ours.
I learned about COLAGE at the Netroots Nation in Minneapolis this weekend. I’m excited to be connected to a community of my peers who also have lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer parents and to join you in creating a world that celebrates ALL families!
In solidarity,
Rachel E. B. Lang
Learn more about Colage.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
