Rep. Michele Bachmann

Rolling Stone describes the human cost of political gay-bashing: nine student suicides in two years in Michelle Bachmann’s home district. The article attributes this to the local School Board’s embrace of a fervent anti-gay agenda. The suicides feed a climate of severe gay bullying in the schools, making life hell for some - while administrators did nothing to protect them.

A group of Anoka-Hennepin School District parents opposed to LGBT safety programs in district schools, shut down its website after its existence was unveiled by the Minnesota Independent - as the community deals with suicides of 3 gay teens.

On Sunday's Meet The Press, David Gregory challenged GOP hopeful Michele Bachmann on her anti-gay views. Among other things he asked whether she believes a same-sex couple raising children constitutes a “family.” Bachmann doesn’t. The 2010 Census shows that there are at least 13,718 same-sex couples living in Bachmann’s home state of Minnesota, and 2,372 of those couples report raising children.

GREGORY: Can a gay couple who adopt children, in your mind, be considered a “family”?

The national press is taking notice that Minnesota state health officials identify Michele Bachmann's school district as a teen "suicide contagion" area. Four students killed themselves in the last two years, and circumstances have been connected to their perceived sexuality. Since January, seven students at Anoka Middle School have been hospitalized for attempting or talking about suicide.

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign will not sign a conservative Iowa Christian group's far-reaching pledge opposing marriage equality, making him the first GOP presidential candidate to reject it. Two of Romney's rivals, Minn. Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Penn. Sen. Rick Santorum, have signed The Family Leader's 14-point pledge, which calls to denounce marriage equality, pornography, same-sex military accommodations and forms of Islamic law.