Interesting Quote: Ellen Sturtz

Mrs. Obama has accomplished extraordinary things and is inarguably the conscience of the White House. She understands injustice at a deep level, and it was that political conscience I was hoping to stir at this week’s fundraiser. Some have said it was disrespectful for a white woman to interrupt an African American woman, or for an activist to interrupt the first lady. All I can say is that in that moment, I could no longer remain silent while standing in front of one of our country’s most powerful political figures. I spoke up for the millions of LGBT Americans who have to make small and excruciating choices each day about the extent to which they are able to live safe and honest lives. 

My hope is that the first lady sees me as just one of millions who are desperate to participate fully in the American dream — a dream she is helping to build for millions across this country. After being locked out of that dream for so long, I hope President Obama considers the desperation we all feel for equality and signs this executive order.

FYI, the Executive Order could get tied up in court and take forever to get active. I prefer the legislative approach.

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Change.org Petition: GetEQUAL.org: Issue a formal apology to the First Lady Michelle Obama

The backlash is running. Since GetEQUAL refuse to see the flaws in their plan to heckle the First Lady, other gay activists are calling them out.

Yesterday, I saw that a petition was made for GetEQUAL's leaders, Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather Cronk to formally apology to the First Lady Michelle Obama:

Last Tuesday night a lesbian couple invited the First Lady to speak in their home. The speech was on the importance of the future of our children. GetEQUAL.org sent an activist to heckle the First Lady during her speech. 

Even with an overwhelming number of requests from members of the LBGT community demanding GetEQUAL apologize, Co-Directors Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather Cronk refuse to do so. Although they state they understand the First Lady is NOT an elected official, they consider her one. 

GetEQUAL is a fringe organization that is in danger of hurting any forward momentum the LBGT has achieved and will hope to achieve in the future. 

Ellen Sturtz, Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather must apologize for their inappropriate behavior, immediately!

If you are interested in signing, the link is here

WATCH The First Lady Michelle Obama Confront the GetEQUAL's activist Ellen Sturtz

GetEQUAL's Sorry Response to Michelle Obama's Protest

Heckler Ellen Sturtz

WASHINGTON, DC — Tuesday evening at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, organizers with GetEQUAL — a national social justice organization fighting for the full equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans — confronted two speakers at the event, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The organizers were advocating for action from the Obama Administration to sign a long-promised Executive Order that would bar any company that contracts with the federal government from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Then-candidate Barack Obama promised while running for office in 2008 to sign such an order, but has not yet taken action (http://www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=7139). A federal contractor Executive Order would protect approximately 22% of the American workforce from LGBT workplace discrimination, and has support from the LGBT advocacy community, as well as The New York Times, The Washington Post, 37 U.S. Senators, and 110 U.S. Representatives.

“I lived and worked in the closet, hiding who I was in order to earn a living,” said Ellen Sturtz, who interacted with the First Lady tonight. “I had planned to speak tonight with DNC officials but, as the First Lady was talking about our childrens’ future and ensuring that they have everything they need to live happy and productive lives, I simply couldn’t stay silent any longer. I’m looking ahead at a generation of young people who could live full, honest, and open lives with the stroke of the President’s pen, and I was hoping that the First Lady would share my concern for all of our young people.”

Activists interacted with the First Lady tonight after lobbying President Obama directly over the past year to sign the federal contractor Executive Order. The First Lady employed similar tactics when she was a law student, advocating for causes close to her heart: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/02/16/barack-s-rock.html.

Read the rest after the jump

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Michelle Obama READS GetEqual's Heckler, LISTEN to the Confrontation

Oooh, I wish I was there to see this.

Last night at a fundraiser, First Lady Michelle Obama was heckled by an GetEqual activist, Ellen Sturtz, because President Obama hasn't signed an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees.

Well, we know how the President deals with hecklers. But Mrs. Obama... She don't play. She read that woman.

Buzzfeed reports:

Most notable part of the event was an interruption from a protester about 12 minutes into the 20-minute speech. A pro-LGBT rights individual standing at the front began shouting for an executive order on gay rights. (Pool did not hear exactly what.) 

“One of the things I don’t do well is this,” replied FLOTUS to loud applause. She left the lectern and moved over to the protester, saying they could “listen to me or you can take the mic, but I’m leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.” 

Crowd started shouting that they wanted FLOTUS to stay. 

“You need to go!” said one woman near the protester. 

The protester was then escorted out, shouting “…lesbian looking for federal equality before I die.” (First part of the quote was inaudible.) Pool could not get their name before they were taken out. 

“So let me make the point that I was making before,” continued FLOTUS. “We are here for our kids. So we must recapture that passion. That same urgency and energy that we felt back in 2008, 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.” 

Loud applause in response to this comment.

The funny thing about this whole thing was Ellen's response.

“She came right down in my face,” Sturtz said. “I was taken aback.”

Really? Ellen, you made the choice to 'protest'. You made a choice to speak your mind. How are you going to be shocked she read you, after you showed out like that?

Girl, realtalk... You were lucky. Because in the streets, you would've got your wig snatched.

So, Ellen Sturtz, you learned something new from the First Lady yesterday: Don't come for her, unless She send for you.

UPDATE here's the audio