This week marks the fifth anniversary of the NOH8 campaign, and to celebrate the project’s raging success and wide reach over the years, co-founders Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley chatted with MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts about the famous faces involved and the future of NOH8 in a post-Prop 8 country.
The project was conceived in 2009 as a silent protest in response to the passage of California’s Proposition 8, which amended the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. To date, more than 33,000 people have been photographed for the glossy photo series, including 119 members of Congress.
Though Proposition 8 has since been ruled unconstitutional (go us!), Bouska says the movement shows no signs of slowing down. “It initially started through something that was politically driven,” he said, “but it’s really turned into such a positive message…and we want to take this message and share it with the world and show that it’s possible to make change. Change is happening all over the world.”
Scroll down to check out some of our favorite (and most powerful) allies speaking volumes through silence. In no particular order:
1. Meghan and Cindy McCain, daughter and wife of Senator John McCain
2. New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, first Senator to pose for NOH8
3. Chad Michaels as Cher
4. Ricky Martin
5. Larry King
6. Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
7. David Hasselhoff
9. Jane Lynch
10. Perez Hilton
11. George Takei
12. Courtney Love
13. Tori Spelling & Co.
14. Raven Symone
15. Tatyana Ali
16. fun.
17. Ricki Lake
18. Isaiah Washington
19. Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer
20. Kourtney, Khloe, and Kim Kardashian
21. Nick Adams
22. Tegan & Sara
23. Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus Rep. Xavier Becerra
24. James Van Der Beek
25. Taye Diggs
26. Vanessa Carlton
27. Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman
28. Eliza Dushku
29. Lavar Burton
30. Lindsay Lohan
31. Paris Hilton
32. Aaron Carter
33. Gene Simmons
34. Dave Navarro
35. Slash
36. Darryl McDaniells
37. Mel B.
38. Lt. Dan Choi
39. Fran Drescher
40. Lance Bass
41. Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz
43. Kimora Lee Simmons
44. Leslie Jordan
45. Andrea Bowen
46. Jack Mackenroth
47. Andy Cohen
48. Dr. Drew
49. Giuliana Rancic
50. Scott Herman
Spike
What, what a powerful reminder as to what a pointless campaign this is/was.
Seriously, powerful? The Kardashains? Lindsey Lohan . . . Paris Hilton? Kimora Lee Sims . . . Perez Hilton. More like the most self-absorbed talentless bunch of wannabes.
KDub
@Spike: It wasn’t completely pointless. It was a great PR move for all the celebs who wanted a public pat on the back.
Spike
@KDub: Good point, scrolling thru the pics it’s apparent that for 95%, its ALL ABOUT THEM.
2eo
@KDub: And at the end of the day these ceremonies feed into the self flagellating propecy.
Who the hell are the following people.
ADAM BOUSKA, ANDREA BOWEN, DARRYL MCDANIELLS, DAVE NAVARRO, DR. DREW, DUANE CHAPMAN, FUN, GIULIANA RANCIC, ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, ISAIAH WASHINGTON, JACK MACKENROTH, JAMES VAN DER BEEK, JEFF PARSHLEY, KIMORA LEE SIMMONS, MARTIN HEINRICH, SCOTT HERMAN, STENY HOYER, TATYANA ALI, TAYE DIGGS, TORI SPELLING, XAVIER BECERRA
Also why in the fake crime of blasphemy of the fucks are the following people listed as “powerful”.
AARON CARTER, COURTNEY LOVE, DAVID HASSELHOFF, GENE SIMMONS, KHLOE KARDASHIAN, KIM KARDASHIAN, LANCE BASS, PARIS HILTON, PEREZ HILTON
It really doesn’t help our world when nearly 2/3 of people we are now describing as “powerful” won’t even be remembered as supporting our community when a hard drive for a PR company in Hollywood fails next year.
Dixie Rect
I’m assuming this PR campaign is now over, right? Ricky Martin took it to a light bondage place too.
Paris Hilton, that awful Perez and other various C, D and Z list celebs made this a complete joke.
Daveliam
@2eo: While the choice of “powerful” is a ridiculous adjective to describe these people, some of the people you listed in the “who the hell are the following people” section are pretty well known.
Dave Navarro, Dr. Drew, Fun, Giuliana Rancic, Isaiah Washington, James Van Der Beek, Kimora Lee Simmons, Taye Diggs, and Tori Spelling are all famous.
Sure, they’re not A-listers, but they aren’t nobodies. A bunch of them are pretty well documented as supporting our community.
Homophile
Yep, slap the hands that reach out to us. I don’t give a shit who these people are or why they did it, they’ve gone on record as supporting marriage equality, something no one would have done 10 years ago.
elbertdijkgraaf
Photoshop… photoshop everywhere (and especially the airbrush tool…).
Can somebody also explain the point of this campaign? I only see (terrible) pictures of some ‘celebs’. To be honest, it all seems a bit pointless to me, but hey; whatever makes them feel good about themselves.
QuintoLover
@2eo: You don’t know fun.? Get out.
hotshot70
Hell, I made my own version and it looks better than some of these offical ones. I used Rainbow tape and added the “NOH8” with computer. I’m gonna start making my own with everyday people.
hotshot70
some of these “celebs” should never remove that tape from their mouths
Spike
@Homophile: Thank you for proving what a pointless and mindless campaign this is/was.
No on H8 had nothing to do with marriage equality. It was an anti-bullying campaign. Turns out a sticker, duct tape, high paid stylist, hair and make-up, doesn’t guarantee that ANYONE will get the intended message.
dougmc92
save the best pic for last 😉
queertyreader
WTF is Isaiah Washington doing there? He got fired from GREY’S ANATOMY for homophobic slurs. He should not be given the opportunity for promotion and rehabitate his reputation by taking part in such a campaign.
I guess you could say he has learnt from his mistake and now he supports LGBT-rights but I say: People who use the f-word have it linked deep in their system and they will NEVER honestly be for full equality.
zoompietro
Love the photo of Levar Burton as Geordi La Forge.
stanhope
Preach my brother!
AuntieChrist
@Spike: Turns out a sticker, duct tape, high paid stylist, hair and make-up, doesn’t guarantee that ANYONE will get the intended message.
Yes we will always have bullies,but the campaign is not totally pointless…Bullying can take many forms and Queertys comments section is a perfect example of such.
Cam
They have Chad Michaels and Perez Hilton listed as more powerful than the Democratic Whip?!
Who the hell put this list in order????
That being said, isn’t it interesting that a protest against Prop8 8 In Ca. stays around when it is making it’s founders a tidy profit.
AuntieChrist
@Cam: The same people who compile the best of list and all other such lists.
Cam
@AuntieChrist:
Who knew that a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag race apparently is more powerful than the minority whip of the House of Representatives. Glad they told us. 😉
Spike
@AuntieChrist: When everyone presents themselves here in an anonymous forum anonymously, any suggestion that bullying is going on is just plain silly. It’s called trolling and anytime you don’t want to be involved you can choose not to participate in the comments.
Niall
Bleh. Nice gesture though
AuntieChrist
@Spike: K…Thanks.
2eo
@Spike: People generally get their panties in a bunch when they try and have a dig then get annoyed when they get digged at back.
The people who throw hissy fits over words on the internet exist solely to be exploited anyway.
exgaysurvivordan
Prop 8 is gone, why are we still talking about NOH8?
AuntieChrist
@exgaysurvivordan: So I guess H8 is gone along with Prop 8…Thank the goddess, strike up the band and abolish this useless organization and all others like it.
cmhbuck
Feels like My Life on the D List.
geojet
@Spike: Keeping in mind that you are apparently gay and I’m not, I find your attitude here odd and far more pointless than any campaign.
Why can’t these people simply be against what is obviously an unjust law?
Is Kim Kardasaian, “too much”? Sure but frankly who cares. She is still a human being and still can support just causes.
So, I don’t know very much about your community but I support gay marriage. If there was a vote on the topic, I’d vote in vary of gay rights.
In the context of a democracy, people who are ignorant of many of your every day issues are still going to support you sometimes and that’s not a bad thing.
I’m sorry that the world is run by bigots. That’s the way it is but just don’t assume everybody who says they supports you on something has some magic ulterior motive. This is common sense.
geojet
@exgaysurvivordan:
Is gay marriage legal in all 52 states? To my understanding, it’s not.
George Takei is on board and he isn’t a dummy. So, there must be something positive in the compaign in terms of fixing discriminatory laws.
geojet
@Cam: Power comes in many forms.
A party whip may have more actual power but a celebrity sometimes can have more influence in terms of rallying popular support.
I’m canadian. Heard of Hilton. Haven’t heard of the party whip.
I noticed McCain’s wife and daughter in the list. I assume its good not to just have democrats?