Why I Heckled Michelle Obama

Ellen Sturtz got an unaccustomed turn in the national spotlight this week when she heckled Michelle Obama during a speech, only to find out that the first lady wasn't having it. In the Washington Post, Sturtz describes herself as a "gray-haired, 56-year-old lesbian" and writes that she didn't go to the fundraiser intending to make a scene. "When I blurted out my comments during the first lady's speech, it was a spontaneous reaction to her saying, 'Right now, today, we have an obligation to stand up for those kids.' I needed to stand up for LGBT youth," writes Sturtz.

She says her frustration boiled over because President Obama has broken promises to beef up anti-discrimination rules in the workplace. So why not keep her anger focused on the president instead of his wife? Because "time and again, the first lady has come to our community and asked us to 'max out' on our contributions to the DNC." In return, Sturtz wants the Obama administration to "max out on the myriad ways that the government could protect the LGBT community." Click to read her full column. (More Michelle Obama stories.)