Michelle Obama Takes Down Heckler With Ease—Listen Now!

First lady isn't going to take being interrupted lying down, as she proved during a recent political gathering

By Josh Grossberg Jun 05, 2013 4:42 PMTags

Memo to would-be hecklers: Don't mess with Michelle Obama!

FLOTUS schooled the world in how to gracefully handle a protester who confronted her during a speech at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at a private home in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night.

According to the pool report (via Buzzfeed), an LGBT activist named Ellen Sturtz shouted for President Barack Obama to sign an executive order on gay rights for employees of federal contractors. But Obama didn't take too kindly to the interruption (listen to her retort in the audio clip above).

"One of the things I don't do well is this," the first lady said.

Obama then stepped away from the podium and moved toward the protester, at which point she said Sturtz could either "listen to me or you can take the mic, but I'm leaving. You all decide. You have one choice."

That prompted pleas from the audience for Obama to stick around and the heckler was escorted out, though not before she yelled that she was a "lesbian looking for federal equality before I die."

Get Equal, the gay rights group of which Sturtz is a member, has since confirmed that the heckling was planned from the get-go.

"We value the first lady's leadership and invite her to lead the charge within the Democratic Party to end employment discrimination," said the organization.