#NOH8 (“no hate”) is the hashtag of the NOH8 Campaign, a silent photo protest created by photographer Adam Bouska and his partner Jeff Parshley in response to California’s Proposition 8. Its portraits show people with duct tape over their mouths and “NOH8” painted on one cheek.
Origin
Proposition 8 passed on November 4, 2008, amending California’s constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. According to the campaign’s own About page, Bouska and Parshley launched NOH8 “in direct response to the passage of Proposition 8.” Parshley told Richmond Magazine in 2015: “We actually took the first photo for the NOH8 Campaign in November of 2008, right after the passing of Proposition 8.” Sources differ on the year: Wikipedia’s infobox gives the organisation’s formation as 2009, while the founders and FOX 11 date its start to 2008.
The name plays on protest slang: per Wikipedia, “H8” (leet for “hate”) is short for “Proposition H8,” a nickname used by the measure’s critics.
The Photos
Each portrait follows the same format. The campaign says its “Photos feature subjects with duct tape over their mouths, symbolizing their voices being silenced,” with NOH8 painted on one cheek. FOX 11 Los Angeles reported in June 2023, as the campaign marked 15 years, that it had taken “nearly 70,000 images.” The campaign’s About page separately says it has grown to “over 56,000 faces.”
Both LGBT and non-LGBT people have taken part. Wikipedia names participants including former Miss USA Brook Lee, actress Pauley Perrette and WWE wrestler Darren Young. The images spread through the campaign’s website and social networks; the About page says they are “widely used on various social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,” and Wikipedia notes a virtual-world version in Second Life.
From Prop 8 to Obergefell
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4, 2008 | California voters pass Proposition 8 | Wikipedia |
| Nov 2008 | First NOH8 photo taken | Richmond Magazine |
| May 26, 2009 | California Supreme Court upholds Prop 8 (Strauss v. Horton) | Wikipedia |
| Aug 4, 2010 | Judge Vaughn Walker overturns Prop 8 (Perry v. Schwarzenegger) | Wikipedia |
| Jun 26, 2013 | U.S. Supreme Court dismisses the appeal for lack of standing (Hollingsworth v. Perry) | Wikipedia |
| Jun 2013 | Same-sex marriages resume in California after the Ninth Circuit lifts its stay | Wikipedia |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Obergefell v. Hodges: the Supreme Court rules 5–4 that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license same-sex marriages | Wikipedia |
Recent Developments
The campaign continued after marriage equality. Its About page says the message of “No Hate” “can be interpreted and applied broadly,” and its site still lists open photo shoots in U.S. cities. Related entries: #Prop8, #LoveWins, #Pride.
Sources
- https://www.noh8campaign.com/article/about
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOH8_Campaign
- https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/noh8-in-Richmond
- https://www.foxla.com/news/noh8-campaign-spreads-message-of-acceptance-for-15-years-and-counting
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_California_Proposition_8
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obergefell_v._Hodges