Gay Rights Activist Coats Gingrich In Glitter

A gay rights activist showered 2012 hopeful Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista in glitter confetti Tuesday in a surprise prank.

Videos of the incident, which took place at a book-signing in Minnesota, have been posted online. They depict the man urging Gingrich to “feel the rainbow” and “stop the hate, stop the anti-gay politics” before being led out of the room by an organizer.

Gingrich reportedly responded by saying, “it’s nice to live in a free country.”

Media outlets have identified the man as Nick Espinosa, a local prankster who garnered attention around the 2010 mid-term election for pouring 2,000 pennies in the lap of Tom Emmer, the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate.

The incident is not the first embarrassing moment from Gingrich’s campaign to make a splash on the internet. Earlier this week, an exchange between Newt and an angry Republican voter in Iowa was caught on camera. In the video, the voter shakes Gingrich’s hand before saying that the candidate’s critique of Paul Ryan’s budget plan was “unforgivable.” Still grasping his hand, he urges Gingrich to “get out of the race before you make a fool of yourself.”