President Obama shut down a heckler who interrupted his speech during an LGBT Pride Month event at the White House on Wednesday. "Shame on you," the president said, to a chorus of supportive hoots. "Listen, you're in my house," he told the woman. "It's not respectful."
Security removed the woman to boos from the crowd, and afterward, vice president Biden placed a hand on Obama's shoulder, with a smile on his face.
And that's a shame, because the woman — and her message — was overshadowed. The protester, Jennicet Gutiérrez, is a transgender woman, and an illegal resident in the United States. Her parting remark prior to her escort out was, “President Obama, release all LGBTQ immigrants from detention and stop all deportations!”
Gutiérrez works with #Not1More, an organization focused on unjust immigration laws. The group issued a release yesterday about the incident. "As a transgender woman who is undocumented, Gutiérrez said she could not celebrate while some 75 transgender detainees were still being exposed to assault and abuse in [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] custody at this very moment," says #Not1More.
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The president is no stranger to disturbances from people who come to watch him speak. But in the past, Obama's been respectful in tone, and has acknowledged the protester before attempting to move on, rather than stating "No, no, no, no," as he did yesterday.
Although the president is supportive of both immigration reform and LGBTQ rights — under his administration, there have been record levels of deportations, and widespread allegations of abuse at detention centers along the border. While no one likes being interrupted, the message Gutiérrez shouted is one the president needs to hear.
We've reached out to Jennicet Gutiérrez to get her side of the story, and will update when we hear back..