NOH8 Campaign - Proposition 8 - Photographic. Silent. Protest.

On November 4, 2008 Proposition 8 passed in California, amending the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The defeat provoked a groundswell of initiativee within the GLBT community at a grassroots level, with many new political and protest organizations being formed in response.

The NOH8 Campaign is a photographic silent protest created by celebrity photographer Adam Bouska (www.adambouska.com) and partner Jeff Parshley in direct response to the passage of Proposition 8. Photos feature subjects with duct tape over their mouths, symbolizing their voices being silenced by Prop 8 and similar legislation around the world, with "NOH8" painted on one cheek in protest.

Seven years since its inception, the NOH8 Campaign has grown to over 55,000 faces and continues to grow at an exponential rate. The campaign began with portraits of everyday Californians from all walks of life and soon rose to include politicians, military personnel, newlyweds, law enforcement, artists, celebrities, and many more from across the globe.

Ricky Martin

While inspired by the passage of Prop 8 and the fight for marriage equality, the scope of the NOH8 Campaign has grown to stand against discrimination and bullying of all kinds. The message of 'No Hate' can be interpreted and applied broadly, and everyone can relate to the message of NOH8 in their own way.
The NOH8 Campaign has received overwhelming support from around the world, and has appeared in various local and national news programs and publications. The images are widely used on various social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to proudly show support for equal rights.

Edgar Micua
(Participated in the San Francisco Shoot)

To date, NOH8 Campaign has hosted official photo shoots in 45 of the 50 United States (plus D.C.) and 19 countries around the world. While our work continues here in the US, we must not forget that there are still places around the world where simply being who you are means living in fear for your life every single day. Our mission to promote love, acceptance and respect for all human beings will continue in pursuit of #NOH8Worldwide.

Liza Minnelli

Stunned. Sad. Setback.

Two days after learning that Hillary Rodham Clinton will not be our 45th American President became a reality. I was stunned.

I went to work stoic, no emotion, it was surreal. I wanted to get through the day in order to just retreat. I immediately took down all of HRC's campaign flyers, buttons anything that would remind me of this unexpected election loss. I was emotionally, socially, and economically invested in the last year in hoping and expecting her to become our President. It saddened me to know this was not the case.

I had no intention of finding out why or what happened. Political TV News was turned off; I continued to remove myself from the energy of the election buzz.

Soon after coming off of the setback, I came out; took my dog for a nice walk around the neighborhood. Outside of our doors, I was not the only one who encountered this surreal experience of an election loss. I walked towards the Castro district and saw hundreds of people gathered on Castro and Market Streets. Sequestered by police officers and traffic officials as people appeared to meet to huddle on what happened. The smell of burning sage was in the air, my guess is to cleanse the election, lit candles as a vigil. The gathering turned out to be one of unity, rejection, and goals of making the decision go in the right. But, with what's been decided, personally, I thought it was moot to try.  

Just off to the side of the rally, or gathering, someone sprayed on the ground, "10% of SF voted for Trump". No need to fact check, but it may be true. Most of the SF bay area was Pro-Clinton supporters.

So this leads me to slowly understand what this means to our LGBT community in terms of rights and services. If what Trump campaign promises holds true, San Francisco city and some of its health and social issues may be cut. I don't know the exact specifics, but I'm sure it will be significant. The recipients of these services will not have any back up plans. For many others, this will be only the beginning.

I've gotten through most of the phases of this election outcome, stunned, sad, and dealt with a setback. But what other phases will I encounter?

Let's hope its positive and an inclusive one.