Cindy McCain NOH8 PHOTO: McCain Joins Project Protesting Prop 8

On Wednesday, the NOH8 campaign protesting California's Proposition 8 announced a new high-profile Republican supporter: John McCain's wife, Cindy McCain. NOH8 is a photo project in which subjects are photographed wearing white, against a white background, with their mouths taped shut and "NOH8" painted on their faces.

McCain's daughter Meghan McCain -- a vocal proponent of marriage equality -- posed for NOH8 last summer. (Her Daily Beast piece explaining why she posed can be found here.)

The NOH8 website posted the following note, along with McCain's photo, expressing the campaign's surprise and appreciation that she decided to join the cause.

Redefining Republican:

In the year since we've started the NOH8 Campaign, we've been surprised at some of the different individuals who have approached us showing their support. Few, though, have surprised us more than Cindy McCain--the wife of Senator John McCain and mother to vocal marriage equality advocate Meghan McCain. The McCains are one of the most well-known Republican families in recent history, and for Mrs. McCain to have reached out to us to offer her support truly means a lot. Although we had worked with Meghan McCain before and we were aware of her own position, we'd never really thought the cause might be something her mother could get behind.

Aligning yourself with the platform of gay marriage as a Republican still tends to be very stigmatic, but Cindy McCain wanted to participate in the campaign to show people that party doesn't matter - marriage equality isn't a Republican issue any more than it is a Democratic issue. It's about human rights, and everybody being treated equally in the eyes of the law that runs and protects this country.

Both McCains' NOH8 photos are below. (h/t advocate.com)

Comments

[plantsman]

04:23 AM on 01/25/2010

I wish Cindy could influence her old, cranky, hateful husband. Until she can, I'm not much interested in her working her fame on a "gay" issue.

[Balzac]

09:56 PM on 01/24/2010

I really like Cindy and Meghan McCain. But when did duct tape become the defacto standard for silencing dissent?

The campaign is a little bit kinky to be honest, with the duct tape and the writing on the faces. What's the idea here, that some jerk tapes the mouths shut of all the sensitive people and then someone else writes "No H8" on their face? Was it the same jerk who taped their mouths?

What's up with this prop 8 anyway? They're actually trying to ban gay marriage? That's ridiculous and it will fail.

I'm looking forward to finally getting some money so I can buy (kidding) some trophy wives and marry them both, but I'm against Prop 8. Seriously Prop 8 is ridiculous and silly.

Whoever sponsored Prop 8 better be a polygamist who is resentful of being denied the right to marry or else this just makes no sense from a constitutional or American liberaltarian perspective.

[plantsman]

04:24 AM on 01/25/2010

Prop.8 succeeded. You really should try keeping up.

[imperator prime]

04:08 AM on 01/24/2010

And the sad irony is that the only remaining (prominent) member of the family that I can think of who remains without tape over their mouth is the one who needs it the most. :-P But then, that imagery's adoption by gay equality activism never really sat well with me anyway; people want us to shut up and go away, so... let's put tape over our mouths as a statement? I'd rather sink my teeth into them. Symbolism, passive resistance, and asking nicely won't get through to the really vehement anti-gay set; against them it's a tooth-and-nail matter. They're aggressors, they want us gone, and if we want to survive we have to fight for it like any other creature being attacked until we out-last them and their ideology.

Silence and a striking image aren't worth much if someone comes at you in an alley with a knife or a brick or a baseball bat, and anti-gay legislation is the same kind of malice writ large, with nicer penmanship. People mistake it for civilization if their violence is limited to paper; the ones in the crosshairs can less afford the luxury of making a distinction.

[JTHC75]

06:33 PM on 01/22/2010

The tide is turning, people. Ten years ago it wasn't even remotely conceivable that marriage equality would be so close within reach. It really just takes one person at a time. Look at kids today--they have a completely different attitude towards homosexuality compared to our parents' generations. In another ten years it won't even be controversial when gay people have equal rights.

And we have to keep encouraging things like the NOH8 campaign. A lot of conservatives, IMO, are agnostic or just ignorant about this issue. The more we can showcase prominent and respected conservatives who support us, the more these agnostics will feel comfortable with supporting equal rights.

[GlennInVenice]

03:46 PM on 01/22/2010

It is an odd world when you have Cheney coming out on behalf of state gay marriage and Cindy McCain in a NoH8 ad and a "fiercely supportive" President Obama who will address us with his lovely words at carefully chosen moments but will not lend his support to our civil rights movement when it is most needed. He has "testified" frequently at the on-going Prop 8 trial and usually as a justification for a continued "separate but equal" treatment for gays.

[Tyler-Durden]

10:30 AM on 01/22/2010

some of these comments are simply disgraceful.

KURT SAYS: "Nobody is against gays, but there sure are a lot of gays against straights and Christians. That is a fact."

this statement indicates that Kurt doesn't know what a FACT is. HERE'S a FACT, Kurt:
The number of hate crime offenses for religion and sexual orientation is THE SAME; just over 1600 each in 2008.. here's your reference: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hc2008/incidents.html

that's the difference between a FACT and your NARROW MINDED OPINION, KURT. the former includes PROOF.

CLOUD30 SAYS: "Marriage to me, is so much different. I think gays underestimate just how deeply even non-religious people hang on to it and what it means."

REALLY? so YOUR OPINION is that marriage means more to certain people than others? and those people all coincidentally are attracted to opposite sex than same sex?

HERE'S A FACT FOR YOU CLOUDY: First Marriage - 45% to 50% marriages end in divorce
Second Marriage - 60% to 67% marriages end in divorce
Third Marriage - 70% to 73% marriages end in divorce

and here's your reference: http://www.divorcestatistics.org/

these divorces are ALL STRAIGHT PEOPLE, CLOUDY.

once again, more people who think THEIR OPINION is right but others' opinions are wrong.

it's ignorant, it's prejudiced, and it's anti-American. We're all equals here, and we all deserve the same human rights, regardless of who we're attracted to.

[klevenstein]

08:26 AM on 01/22/2010

This is great news. I hope she and Meghan start a new movement in the GOP: People who think about issues and come to sensible conclusions. Maybe some in the GOP will actually achieve "common sense" about social issues.

Not holding my breath, though. The GOP is so full of bigots; they should expand their tent to include minorities (including LGBT), and shrink it to exclude the cretinous bigots.

[stephanemot]

12:07 AM on 01/22/2010

gay talk express ?

[skunzsgirlie]

11:09 PM on 01/21/2010

She married him for herself to be in just this position......blond, dumb and wealthy.

[doodlefarbe]

09:51 AM on 01/22/2010

Is there an "Ignorant Post Of The Day" award?

[Tyler-Durden]

10:09 AM on 01/22/2010

she's going to have to take "runner-up". the commenter above her is the winner

[no eyes]

07:35 PM on 01/21/2010

I am an animal lover. Can I marry my dog? We have been together for years. Isn't it my freedom to choose my partner?

By the way, can we adopt children too? I know we could never have children on our own, but a gay couple can adopt. Why not us?

[Zoar]

07:42 PM on 01/21/2010

No eyes, appropriate name. You're a blind fool.

[skunzsgirlie]

11:11 PM on 01/21/2010

He is right on, let us adopt or have future chihuahuas as tax exemptions, we love our dogs!

[mrrobinson2u]

08:46 PM on 01/21/2010

your dog is not a human.

[jessicajuliette]

09:26 PM on 01/21/2010

noeyes is not human either..

[brains2]

07:15 PM on 01/21/2010

Bravo! What an interesting and more authentic political world if the spouses weren't "handled" too. We have a history of wives not agreeing with their husbands on hot topics like: abortion, gay marriage, and global warming to list a few. Thank you Cindy!

[OkieIntellectual]

06:24 PM on 01/21/2010

Wow, I think they broke Photoshop airbrushing that one. She looks almost the same age as her daughter. Still, very cool thing to do.

[Cloud30]

06:39 PM on 01/21/2010

Cindy has always looked very young actually. I've always liked her...just not John

[PhilipB]

05:01 PM on 01/21/2010

Since the trial in CA had been silenced for wide public scrutiny, I find this source invaluable to read transcripts of the trial.
http://prop8trialtracker.com/
All the best,
Philip B

[RatPack78]

03:51 PM on 01/21/2010

I'm not really that surprised to see Cindy McCain on the side of the gays. Just because your husband has a certain viewpoint doesn't mean you have to. On the presidential campaign trail, a spouse really can't express their own views if they conflict with the candidate's. But John McCain's gonna be in the Senate until the day he dies and his wife's actions aren't gonna change that.

[unrealalexx]

01:59 PM on 01/21/2010

Pretty Cool!

I'm a conservative libertarian and I think the government should stay out or ALL marriage. States IMO should cover all legal unions equally.

If two people want to form a civil union go for it.

Marriage should be a religious doctrine, up to individual churches.

Just my opinion, and you know what they say about those!

[KurtFL]

02:15 PM on 01/21/2010

The whole idea of marriage is really antiquated now that men and women both earn money.