NOH8 Campaign tour stops at Center on Halsted

CHICAGO, ILL. - By Michael Oboza, Special to GoPride.com

During its 18th year, celebrity photographer and co-founder Adam Bouska, along with partner and co-founder Jeff Parshley, brought their traditional and historic NOH8 Campaign tour to Center on Halsted in Chicago.

"NOH8 Campaign began as a way to put a face to the fight for marriage equality and show the faces of people affected by Proposition 8 and people who support it," explained Parshley. "It has become a tool to create a dialogue. We've visited 23 countries, all 50 states and Bouska took over 125,000 pictures, which makes over 85,000 images."

The campaign's visual signature was born on election night in November 2008 following the passage of California's Proposition 8. Seeking an immediate visual protest, Bouska photographed Parshley in their apartment with silver duct tape across his mouth to symbolize how LGBTQ voices were silenced by the vote. Stenciling "NOH8" on Parshley's cheek and placing him in a simple white T-shirt against a clean white backdrop created a high-contrast style designed to emphasize the subject's eyes and personal expression.

What began as a single portrait quickly grew into an international artistic movement. Bouska's camera has captured more than 125,000 faces ranging from everyday grassroots advocates to major public figures, including conservative political figure Cindy McCain, late TV host Larry King, and musician Miley Cyrus.

"We were responding to Proposition 8 and not looking to form an organization. It has been driven by community and shown us how hate applies to all of us differently. But we never take that for granted," said Bouska. "Today, we see a lot of organizations like ours being eliminated. The administration is going after our community or any marginalized community. We see this to be a way to speak out against it."

"Yes, it was a response to Proposition 8," explained Bouska. "But now it has grown to speak out against all forms of hate."

Walking with a unicorn down the street said one attendee, "Only on Halsted."

The NOH8 Campaign, confronting discrimination with community and visibility, officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The Illinois House passed the Illinois Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act in 2013. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed the legislation, and marriage equality became state law in 2014.

Marriage equality officially became the law of the land across the United States following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.

A majority of voters later voted to repeal Proposition 8, with Proposition 3 passing statewide in California in 2024.