Newsletter: Dad Takes a Stand; Show Your PRIDE and FIGHT!

As our weekend comes to a close and we prepare for the new week ahead, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the past year of paternal accomplishments, work, compassion, and the dedication of each and every father who has taken the time to become a part of the NOH8 Campaign. These fathers have set an incredible example for their sons and daughters, many of whom joined their fathers in taking a stand against discrimination.

We're excited to share a photo compilation of some of our favorite fathers and their families from all walks of life, caught in front of Adam Bouska's camera, in honor of this Father's Day.

Chelsea Montgomery-Duban made news in 2009 when a video she'd uploaded to YouTube of the speech she gave at her parents' wedding went viral and spread through the internet like wildfire. Chelsea's fathers were married during a ceremony in August of 2008 in California, just months before Prop 8 passed; counting their marriage among the 18,000 or so to be legally recognized.

The Montgomery-Dubans (pictured right) have been gracious supporters of our campaign, and we're excited to feature Chelsea's story for our Father's Day blog!

When we asked Chelsea to share a few words about her parents with us for Father's Day, she said the following:

"I have the most amazing [fathers] in the world. Seriously. I mean, most of the time, I'd rather be hanging out with them than with my friends. My Dads and I have the most incredible times together, laughing, traveling or just spending quality time together. I would say we're just like any other family, but we're not because we seem to be so much closer and enjoy each other's company more than most families do. My parents are my role models, my best friends and some of the most incredible human beings on the planet and this January they will be celebrating 30 years together."

You can see Chelsea's speech below.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

THE VAUGHN-WOELFEL FAMILY

LEFT: GENE SIMMONS & FAMILY; RIGHT: WEIRD AL & FAMILY

LEFT: CHRIS GORHAM & FAMILY; RIGHT: DUANE "DOG" CHAPMAN & FAMILY

FROM FAMILIES THAT ARE JUST BEGINNING TO GENERATIONS OF HOPE...

SHOW YOUR PRIDE AND FIGHT!

Team NOH8 Campaign really took over LA Pride this year - our third LA Pride since the campaign started in late 2008. Whether you came to take a photo in support, had your face or body tattooed with a NOH8 temporary tattoo, or came to support our group in the Pride Parade, there were so many opportunities for everyone to get involved with us this year! Thank you to everyone at LA Pride and Christopher Street West for helping us pull everything off this year.

Not only did we set up a Pride Booth for the very first time this year, we held a photo shoot in the Pride Festival for the very first time as well! Visitors to our booth received a complimentary NOH8 temporary tattoo, and many of you showed your support by picking up a NOH8 t-shirt or other merchandise to sport the message. 

To get a look behind the scenes of our LA Pride Booth and Photo Shoot, check out this homemade video from one of our NOH8 Volunteers!

R&B Singer/Songwriter Mya took to the Main Stage of LA Pride on Saturday Night to entertain the crowd with everything from a medley of her smash hits to a set of brand new songs from Mya's latest CD -- including "Love is the Answer," a single inspired by the NOH8 Campaign! With three dramatic costume and hair changes, Mya and her team of dancers really put it all out there. The third and final outfit change put Mya and her dancers in various NOH8 t-shirts (all available here) and color schemes. It was incredible!!

Perhaps the most remarkable part of the performance came during Mya's closing number, "Love is the Answer." As the performance continued, the levels in both sound and lighting starting to fluctuate dramatically -- putting all of the pressure on Mya and her dancers as the power wavered.

About halfway through the song, the drain of the day finally hit the generator and it died completely -- leaving Mya on-stage in the dark with no music. That didn't stop the performance, though! Mya and her dancers continued to perform the number without missing a single step, dancing to a non-stop swell of cheering and support from the crowd as they finished out their entire number like the true professionals they are!

Check out our video of Mya's "Love is the Answer" Performance from LA Pride 2011.

AFTER THE PERFORMANCE...

Mya and her dancers were up early with us the very next morning in preparation for the LA Pride Parade, and led our 2011 Pride Group down Santa Monica Boulevard -- flanked by NOH8 balloons, our banner, pride flags, and dozens of NOH8 Supporters dressed in white. Mya and her dancers even performed in synch with the chants and cheers of our group!

Real Housewives of Orange County star Fernanda Rocha also joined the team (pictured right, furthest to the right), happily posing for fans and talking our team up while we waited to get started. Fans ran out into the street to take pictures with both Mya and Fernanda during the march, thanking them for being there to support the LGBT Community.

NOH8 Campaign Co-Founders Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley joined Mya and Fernanda in leading the march, armed with a MegaPhone to shout our chants while we marched. We've included a few of them below, mixing them in with the pictures to give you an idea of the experience we had marching and chanting together.

We started chanting as soon as we began marching, having practiced with Adam while we waited for our turn in the procession. We didn't stop chanting together until halfway down the block after we'd passed the end of the parade route!

GATHERING ON THE STREET BEFORE THE PARADE...

"HARVEY MILK WAS RIGHT, SHOW YOUR PRIDE AND FIGHT!"

"SHOW ME WHAT DEMOCRARY LOOKS LIKE!"

"THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!"

"BLACK, WHITE, GAY, STRAIGHT: JUST LOVE, NO HATE!"

We had time for one quick group shot before it was time for our Pride March Team to go its separate ways until next year. Some of us finished out Pride at the NOH8 Booth for the rest of the day on Sunday, continuing to tattoo everyone that came through our line. Once we started, we literally didn't stop - and it was great!

We hope all of you that spent time with us over Pride Weekend had a great time; we know we had fun meeting you all, and seeing many of you again! We hope to continue building NOH8's presence at Pride each and every year, slowly but surely putting activism back into Pride. We hope those of you that couldn't make it will join us next year!

Don't forget to celebrate PRIDE month by checking our your local LGBT Pride Events!

Remember, you can get a complete listing of upcoming NOH8 Campaign Photo Shoots in your area by clicking on the EVENTS tab at the top of the page, as well as signing up for our newsletter or following us on Facebook or Twitter.