Dallas Supports in Full Force

Throughout the past few years, one of the most frequently requested cities has always been Dallas. We've traveled in and around Texas before, hosting open photo shoots at Texas A&M in College Station and on Harvey Milk Day in Austin - but it wasn't until this year that Dallas finally made it onto the schedule. Our friend Deb Boopsingh at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration and Vision Forums reached out earlier this year, hoping to bring the NOH8 Campaign to Dallas for the first time and use the opportunity to create a unique NOH8 event to bring her community together. Several months later, we'd say Deb accomplished her goal!

The Dallas photo shoot was the largest NOH8 photo shoot to date with well over 800 people showing up at the event to show their support. Over 300 of those supporters lined up hours in advance, eager to finally be able to participate in an official photo shoot. Organizations like GLAAD, Lambda Legal, and Rock the Vote joined the event and set up tables to offer NOH8 supporters a chance to learn more about their own organizations and how they could get involved in their community.

Margaret Marshall, former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (pictured right), spoke the evening before the event about her landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts and her experiences growing up in South Africa during Apartheid that influenced her commitment to non-discrimination. She also made sure to stop by during the photo shoot to show her support, and we were honored to have her support.

We also had a record number of volunteers, with over 50 volunteers representing both the church and the NOH8 Campaign throughout the day. We've emphasized the importance of volunteers before, and every volunteer involved with the Dallas photo shoot proved just how vital volunteer support can be. The event was a success because of the love that was put into it, particularly by Deb and the team at Vision Forum, and we're so proud to have been able to work with them!

You can browse the hundreds of new photos from the Dallas photo shoot in 5 galleries. Solo Photos will be located in NOH8 Photos 12,501-12,750, NOH8 Photos 12,751-13,000, and NOH8 Photos 13,001-13,250 while Couple & Group photos will be in Creative & Group Gallery 20 and Creative & Group Gallery 21.