The Grand Old Party has had a hard time dealing with LGBT activists this campaign season. From “glitter bombs” to awkward responses in town hall meetings, this year's crop of GOP presidential candidates has been forced to stand by their positions on marriage, gays and lesbians in the military and employment non-discrimination.

Thanks to the power of social media and the accessibility of amateur video for the world to see, activists have been able to highlight the often hypocritical or nonsensical anti-gay positions as the GOP's candidates make their way across the early primary states.

Take Michele Bachmann, for example. She and her husband Marcus run a Christian-based counseling clinic that practices “reparative” therapy in her homestate of Minnesota. “Pray the gay away,” in other words. That, and Michele's anti-gay positions, led to a series of “glitter bombs” and even an occupation of the Bachmann clinic by “gay barbarians” over the summer.

More recently, Bachmann came face-to-face with an eight-year-old boy who told her that his mother didn't need to be “fixed” because of her sexual orientation. Just a day earlier, Bachmann was confronted by a high school student at a campaign event in Iowa who asked, “Why can't same-sex couples get married?”

Bachmann responded, "They can get married, but they abide by the same law as everyone else. They can marry a man if they're a woman. Or they can marry a woman if they're a man."

She must have forgotten that Iowa has marriage equality for same-sex couples.

Many of the other candidates haven't fared well, either. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Minnesota Sen. Tim Pawlenty have also been “glitter bombed” this year.

Over the weekend, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, still trying to recover from the debate gaffe heard around the world, was confronted by a high school student who asked the governor why he so strongly opposes gay and lesbian soldiers.

“Here’s my issue. This is about my faith, and I happen to think, you know, there are a whole hosts of sins,” Perry replied, according to ABC News. “Homosexuality being one of them, and I’m a sinner and so I’m not going to be the first one to throw a stone. I don’t agree that openly gays should be serving in the military. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was working.”

How exactly was DADT working?

The GOP's candidates, and even President Obama, have to expect this kind of scrutiny on the campaign trail. There's a long way to go until Election Day and something tells me we ain't seen nothing yet.

Top photo: Michele Bachmann during a recent GOP debate (via Facebook)