10 Members Of Congress Pose For The NOH8 Campaign

The FIRST elected national representatives EVER have posed for the NOH8 campaign.

Laurence Watts, a freelance journalist who made this all happen, said:

On Feb. 15 Adam Bouska, Jeff Parshley, and I were in Washington, D.C. for “NOH8 on the Hill,” the exclusive NOH8 photo session we set up especially for members of Congress. We thought we might be able to persuade a couple of Congressmen to take part. This is an election year, after all. What actually happened exceeded our wildest expectations.

By the end of the day, 10 members of Congress had posed for NOH8 portraits. Ten!

1. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia

“Don’t be fooled, I’ll never be silenced about marriage equality.”

2. Rep. Judy Chu, California, District 32

“I’m proud to join over 20,000 participants who’ve posed in NOH8 photos depicting the silencing of equality by California’s Prop 8 and similar legislation around the world. These pictures speak volumes about the will of the American people to be treated the same, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.”

3. Rep. William Keating, Massachusetts, District 10

“The reason why I support the NOH8 Campaign is simple: our country rests on the principle that all people are equal, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. If we deny that fact then we are no longer the Land of the Free. The most important freedom is the freedom to be the person you truly are and embrace the life you want to live. It’s my hope that LGBT youth across the country and in Massachusetts feel our encouragement and support. They are not alone. I stand firmly behind them, and the important message that NOH8 is spreading.”

4. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Oregon, District 3

“On the same week that Maryland and Washington stepped up for marriage equality, I stood with NOH8 in solidarity with those who are fighting Prop 8 in California. Gay and lesbian Americans are part of the fabric that makes this country strong. The notion that we could ask these men and women to do everything from paying taxes to serving our country in uniform while denying them the right to marry is offensive to everything I believe in as a public servant. I won’t stop working for equal rights in Congress until they have been extended to every American.”

5. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Ohio, District 10

“Our nation was founded upon the principle of equality. It is imperative that we work for equal rights for all in order to make that principle a reality. Love isn’t gay or straight, tall or short, black or white; it is for everyone.”

6. Rep. Niki Tsongas, Massachusetts, District 5

“In 2004 I rallied on the steps of the Massachusetts State House in support of same-sex marriage and I was proud that Massachusetts was the first state to recognize marriage equality. Consenting individuals throughout the country though should have the ability to have their monogamous, long-term relationships recognized and celebrated. Our nation will be stronger when all Americans enjoy this right.”

7. Rep. Barbara Lee, California, District 8

“Hate does not belong in our communities, families, schools, the workplace and certainly not in our government.”

8. Rep. Jackie Speier, California, District 12

“NOH8 because we are a country of equality and inclusion, not hate and segregation. NOH8 because the state should not dictate love or marriage. I proudly join with the NOH8 campaign to stand up for marriage equality and oppose laws that suppress it.”

9. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, California, District 6

“I’m proud to participate in this extraordinary campaign, to make this statement of protest against the treatment of LGBT Americans as second-class citizens. I believe this is the defining civil rights struggle of our time — where you stand today on marriage equality will determine how you are judged by history. What’s at stake is the human dignity of LGBT people. To deny equal rights and freedoms based on sexual orientation does violence to American values.”

10. Rep. Jared Polis, Colorado, District 2

“Equality before the law is an American value articulated in our Constitution and it’s at the heart of the NOH8 Campaign. With a focus on our nation’s value of freedom and an unflagging insistence on equality for all, we can look forward to a time when equal rights for all is a given.”