Thousands of Republicans flocked to campus to cast a $30 vote for the Republican candidate they saw fit enough to take on President Obama in the 2012 general election in the Ames Straw Poll Saturday, August 13.

The vast array of circus-sized tents, free food, political prayers and entertainment were a fundraising and bragging rights battleground that brought in high-level Republicans candidates from across the country.

Among these potential conservative suitors was Minnesota Congresswoman and Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann, who was one of the favorites to win the poll.

Bachmann is known for being a leader in the conservative Tea Party movement, one of President Obama’s most vicious critics, and, most recently, a target of attack from many progressive and LGBT groups because of her and her husband’s controversial statements on homosexuality.

That same day Warren Blumenfeld, openly gay professor of curriculum and instruction and queer studies, took a break from preparing his course syllabus to attend the Ames Straw Poll with his friend, Fred Karger, an openly gay Republican presidential candidate.

Dawning his red, pro-gay marriage t-shirt, Blumenfeld and Karger made their way to the event.

Upon arrival, Blumenfeld was shocked to see, in his opinion, the backwardness of society that was presented there.

“The NRA was handing out orange caps to 5- and 6-year-olds that read ‘Guns Save Lives'”, said Blumenfeld, “and Tea Partiers were ranting about how Obama had caused the decline in our triple-A credit rating.”

Blumenfeld eventually made his way into the Michele Bachmann camp.

At first glance, his t-shirt blended in with the sea of red Bachmann t-shirts, even though their messages were completely opposite of one another.

At this point, Blumenfeld spotted Michele Bachmann’s husband, Marcus, in the crowd and decided to approach him.

Mr. Bachmann runs a Christian counseling clinic in Minnesota that, in part, is known for “attempting to change people (homosexuals) by practicing the therapy of ‘pray away the gay,'” Blumenfeld said.

This type of controversial therapy has become a focal point of outrage from both scientists and gay activists who vehemently reject its philosophy that sexual orientation is a personal choice that can be reversed.

Upon seeing Blumenfeld, Marcus Bachmann apparently did not notice the pro-gay marriage t-shirt that he was wearing and instinctively took a smiling, happy picture with him.

Blumenfeld revealed his identity to Mr. Bachmann and began a heated exchange by saying to Mr. Bachmann, “Now that you’re here, I want to tell you how I am upset with your representation.”

In the exchange, Blumenfeld criticized Mr. Bachmann for an earlier statement he made in which he referred to gay people as “barbarians” who “need to be educated.”

Bachmann swiftly denied that he ever made that statement, even though it has been well documented that he did.

Later in the video, Blumenfeld continued his pressure on Bachmann by bringing up his theories of ‘pray away the gay:’

“You’re trying to convert them to something they’re not,” said Blumenfeld.

“That’s absolutely not true”, said Bachmann. “I do not use reparative therapy … that is a myth.”

Mr. Bachmann immediately walked away before Blumenfeld could respond, but the video found its way to YouTube where it has received thousands of views in the few days since its original posting.

“What I wanted to say [to Bachmann] next was that you claim to follow biblical scripture but one of the commandments is that you will not bear false witness and he did that on both accusations,” Blumenfeld said about the goals of Mr. Bachmann’s clinics.  

“He and his wife are hurting our community and Mrs. Bachmann uses the bodies of gay people, women, the poor and the underinsured as stepping stones as a way to vote garner votes … And I am very worried about the message that the Republican candidates are giving.”

When asked about the nature of LGBT rights, Blumenfeld replied, “We need to get out of the nature nurture argument. We need to look at this as a civil rights argument … And people like Michele Bachmann are using this as a wedge issue to promote her own anti-gay agenda.”

Congresswoman Bachmann went on to win that Saturday’s Ames Straw Poll with 4,823 votes and has emerged as a frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination along with former governors Rich Perry from Texas and Mitt Romney from Massachusetts.