Category Archives: Movers and Shakers
ADAM BOUSKA in Chicago to Discuss NOH8 with the LGBT Community
Photographer ADAM BOUSKA
became a LGBT activist quite by accident. He calls it “accidental activism“. Gosh, he has come a long way in the 6 years we have known him!
Derrick and I met Adam in 2003. He was living here in the suburbs of Chicago and had just graduated college where he studied Computer Science. Being a photographer myself, I was always on the lookout for fresh new young talent.
I met Adam and asked him to pose for me. During our photo shoot, he confided that Computer Science was not really his passion. And though he was dabbling with modeling, it was the art of photography and expression potential that really intrigued him.
Shortly afterwards, Adam moved to Southern California. We stayed in touch now and then through MySpace and watched as Adam’s young budding career began to blossom exponentially through social media communities and popular blogs!
It didn’t take long and his name was sprouting up everywhere on the Internet!
In November 2008, Proposition 8 in California happened. California wanted to put a stop to the idea of gay marriage. The defeat of Prop 8 provoked a groundswell of activism within the LGBTQ community and many new political and protest organizations were formed in response to the defeat. It was like Stonewall was happening again!
Adam was in Chicago this weekend speaking at LGBT CHANGE UNITE + FIGHT, EAA Midwest Conference at Columbia College. The conference ran 3 days and was a series of workshops and speakers geared towards activism in the hopes to fire up the Midwest LGBTQ communities.
Adam, his partner Jeff Parshley and some friends attended the Prop 8 rallies in Los Angeles. Afterwords, they got so emotionally stirred they knew they wanted to do something, to make some kind of statement. He and a dozen friends went to the store and bought some paints and duct tape, went back to his apartment and shot photos. Using photography as his voice, Adam placed tape over their mouths and painted the now famous NOH8 on their cheeks, and the next day posted their images to MySpace and Facebook, to demonstrate their silent protest.
Before he knew it, a dozen more friends wanted to do the same thing . Adam shot more photos and those friends also posted them online. The next month 30 of their friends wanted the same photos! It started to grow exponentially. In the 6 months that followed it exploded and nearly 500 people had been photographed and pictures were flooding the Internet.
Soon celebrities want to join in and show their support. To date, 3,000+ faces have been shot by Adam and his team for the NOH8 Campaign. The campaign began with portraits of everyday Californians from all walks of life and soon rose to include politicians, military personnel, newlyweds, law enforcement, artists, celebrities, and many more.
Cindy McCain, wife of former Presidential candidate Senator John McCain, was even photographed by Adam, speaking out on behalf of gay marriage rights as part of a popular ongoing photo campaign. “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.”
The NOH8 Campaign has received overwhelming support from around the world, appearing on various local and national news programs and publications. The images are currently being used on various social networking sites to spread the message of equality, predominantly Facebook and Twitter. Eventually the images are expected to be compiled for a large-scale media campaign. The group just shot their 3rd PSA. There has been talks of a billboard, possible calendar, coffee table books and even a documentary.
Just last month the team shot 500 people in 5 hours in New York City. Adam hopes to tour major cities soon, doing more open shoots and spreading the message across the country. “This is much bigger than just about Prop 8. And when we win this, when Prop 8 is overturned, and it will be, we’re not stopping. It’s about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell….it’s about gay civil rights….it’s about the big picture now!” Groups as far away as Germany and Australia have even started similar campaigns.
Remember when Gay Pride and National Coming Out day was just once a year? Thanks to the power of Social Media and the interconnectedness of the Internet these days, we can make a statement about who we are and show the world our messages. “Activism needs to be a part of your DAILY LIFE and your lifestyle. Not just once a year.”
THE NOH8 store online has t-shirts, bumper stickers, tattoos and my favorite, THE BRACELET! Funds raised by the NOH8 Campaign will be used to continue promoting and raising awareness for Marriage Equality and anti-discrimination on a global level through an educational and interactive media campaign.
Adam will hopefully get back to Chicago later this year for an Open Call NOH8 shoot here. We’ll keep you posted!
Adam Bouska
Adam Bouska MySpace
Adam Bouska FaceBook
http://twitter.com/bouska
NOH8 CAMPAIGN
Michael Snell and Derrick Sorles BEST GAY CHICAGO / BEST GAY NEWS
became a LGBT activist quite by accident. He calls it “accidental activism“. Gosh, he has come a long way in the 6 years we have known him!
Derrick and I met Adam in 2003. He was living here in the suburbs of Chicago and had just graduated college where he studied Computer Science. Being a photographer myself, I was always on the lookout for fresh new young talent.
I met Adam and asked him to pose for me. During our photo shoot, he confided that Computer Science was not really his passion. And though he was dabbling with modeling, it was the art of photography and expression potential that really intrigued him.
Shortly afterwards, Adam moved to Southern California. We stayed in touch now and then through MySpace and watched as Adam’s young budding career began to blossom exponentially through social media communities and popular blogs!
It didn’t take long and his name was sprouting up everywhere on the Internet!
In November 2008, Proposition 8 in California happened. California wanted to put a stop to the idea of gay marriage. The defeat of Prop 8 provoked a groundswell of activism within the LGBTQ community and many new political and protest organizations were formed in response to the defeat. It was like Stonewall was happening again!
Adam was in Chicago this weekend speaking at LGBT CHANGE UNITE + FIGHT, EAA Midwest Conference at Columbia College. The conference ran 3 days and was a series of workshops and speakers geared towards activism in the hopes to fire up the Midwest LGBTQ communities.
Adam, his partner Jeff Parshley and some friends attended the Prop 8 rallies in Los Angeles. Afterwords, they got so emotionally stirred they knew they wanted to do something, to make some kind of statement. He and a dozen friends went to the store and bought some paints and duct tape, went back to his apartment and shot photos. Using photography as his voice, Adam placed tape over their mouths and painted the now famous NOH8 on their cheeks, and the next day posted their images to MySpace and Facebook, to demonstrate their silent protest.
Before he knew it, a dozen more friends wanted to do the same thing . Adam shot more photos and those friends also posted them online. The next month 30 of their friends wanted the same photos! It started to grow exponentially. In the 6 months that followed it exploded and nearly 500 people had been photographed and pictures were flooding the Internet.
Soon celebrities want to join in and show their support. To date, 3,000+ faces have been shot by Adam and his team for the NOH8 Campaign. The campaign began with portraits of everyday Californians from all walks of life and soon rose to include politicians, military personnel, newlyweds, law enforcement, artists, celebrities, and many more.
Cindy McCain, wife of former Presidential candidate Senator John McCain, was even photographed by Adam, speaking out on behalf of gay marriage rights as part of a popular ongoing photo campaign. “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.”
The NOH8 Campaign has received overwhelming support from around the world, appearing on various local and national news programs and publications. The images are currently being used on various social networking sites to spread the message of equality, predominantly Facebook and Twitter. Eventually the images are expected to be compiled for a large-scale media campaign. The group just shot their 3rd PSA. There has been talks of a billboard, possible calendar, coffee table books and even a documentary.
Just last month the team shot 500 people in 5 hours in New York City. Adam hopes to tour major cities soon, doing more open shoots and spreading the message across the country. “This is much bigger than just about Prop 8. And when we win this, when Prop 8 is overturned, and it will be, we’re not stopping. It’s about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell….it’s about gay civil rights….it’s about the big picture now!” Groups as far away as Germany and Australia have even started similar campaigns.
Remember when Gay Pride and National Coming Out day was just once a year? Thanks to the power of Social Media and the interconnectedness of the Internet these days, we can make a statement about who we are and show the world our messages. “Activism needs to be a part of your DAILY LIFE and your lifestyle. Not just once a year.”
THE NOH8 store online has t-shirts, bumper stickers, tattoos and my favorite, THE BRACELET! Funds raised by the NOH8 Campaign will be used to continue promoting and raising awareness for Marriage Equality and anti-discrimination on a global level through an educational and interactive media campaign.
Adam will hopefully get back to Chicago later this year for an Open Call NOH8 shoot here. We’ll keep you posted!
Adam Bouska
Adam Bouska MySpace
Adam Bouska FaceBook
http://twitter.com/bouska
NOH8 CAMPAIGN
Michael Snell and Derrick Sorles BEST GAY CHICAGO / BEST GAY NEWS
ADAM BOUSKA in Chicago to Discuss NOH8 with the LGBT Community
Photographer ADAM BOUSKA
became a LGBT activist quite by accident. He calls it “accidental activism“. Gosh, he has come a long way in the 6 years we have known him!
Derrick and I met Adam in 2003. He was living here in the suburbs of Chicago and had just graduated college where he studied Computer Science. Being a photographer myself, I was always on the lookout for fresh new young talent.
I met Adam and asked him to pose for me. During our photo shoot, he confided that Computer Science was not really his passion. And though he was dabbling with modeling, it was the art of photography and expression potential that really intrigued him.
Shortly afterwards, Adam moved to Southern California. We stayed in touch now and then through MySpace and watched as Adam’s young budding career began to blossom exponentially through social media communities and popular blogs!
It didn’t take long and his name was sprouting up everywhere on the Internet!
In November 2008, Proposition 8 in California happened. California wanted to put a stop to the idea of gay marriage. The defeat of Prop 8 provoked a groundswell of activism within the LGBTQ community and many new political and protest organizations were formed in response to the defeat. It was like Stonewall was happening again!
Adam was in Chicago this weekend speaking at LGBT CHANGE UNITE + FIGHT, EAA Midwest Conference at Columbia College. The conference ran 3 days and was a series of workshops and speakers geared towards activism in the hopes to fire up the Midwest LGBTQ communities.
Adam, his partner Jeff Parshley and some friends attended the Prop 8 rallies in Los Angeles. Afterwords, they got so emotionally stirred they knew they wanted to do something, to make some kind of statement. He and a dozen friends went to the store and bought some paints and duct tape, went back to his apartment and shot photos. Using photography as his voice, Adam placed tape over their mouths and painted the now famous NOH8 on their cheeks, and the next day posted their images to MySpace and Facebook, to demonstrate their silent protest.
Before he knew it, a dozen more friends wanted to do the same thing . Adam shot more photos and those friends also posted them online. The next month 30 of their friends wanted the same photos! It started to grow exponentially. In the 6 months that followed it exploded and nearly 500 people had been photographed and pictures were flooding the Internet.
Soon celebrities want to join in and show their support. To date, 3,000+ faces have been shot by Adam and his team for the NOH8 Campaign. The campaign began with portraits of everyday Californians from all walks of life and soon rose to include politicians, military personnel, newlyweds, law enforcement, artists, celebrities, and many more.
Cindy McCain, wife of former Presidential candidate Senator John McCain, was even photographed by Adam, speaking out on behalf of gay marriage rights as part of a popular ongoing photo campaign. “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.”
The NOH8 Campaign has received overwhelming support from around the world, appearing on various local and national news programs and publications. The images are currently being used on various social networking sites to spread the message of equality, predominantly Facebook and Twitter. Eventually the images are expected to be compiled for a large-scale media campaign. The group just shot their 3rd PSA. There has been talks of a billboard, possible calendar, coffee table books and even a documentary.
Just last month the team shot 500 people in 5 hours in New York City. Adam hopes to tour major cities soon, doing more open shoots and spreading the message across the country. “This is much bigger than just about Prop 8. And when we win this, when Prop 8 is overturned, and it will be, we’re not stopping. It’s about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell….it’s about gay civil rights….it’s about the big picture now!” Groups as far away as Germany and Australia have even started similar campaigns.
Remember when Gay Pride and National Coming Out day was just once a year? Thanks to the power of Social Media and the interconnectedness of the Internet these days, we can make a statement about who we are and show the world our messages. “Activism needs to be a part of your DAILY LIFE and your lifestyle. Not just once a year.”
THE NOH8 store online has t-shirts, bumper stickers, tattoos and my favorite, THE BRACELET! Funds raised by the NOH8 Campaign will be used to continue promoting and raising awareness for Marriage Equality and anti-discrimination on a global level through an educational and interactive media campaign.
Adam will hopefully get back to Chicago later this year for an Open Call NOH8 shoot here. We’ll keep you posted!
Adam Bouska
Adam Bouska MySpace
Adam Bouska FaceBook
http://twitter.com/bouska
NOH8 CAMPAIGN
Michael Snell and Derrick Sorles BEST GAY CHICAGO / BEST GAY NEWS
became a LGBT activist quite by accident. He calls it “accidental activism“. Gosh, he has come a long way in the 6 years we have known him!
Derrick and I met Adam in 2003. He was living here in the suburbs of Chicago and had just graduated college where he studied Computer Science. Being a photographer myself, I was always on the lookout for fresh new young talent.
I met Adam and asked him to pose for me. During our photo shoot, he confided that Computer Science was not really his passion. And though he was dabbling with modeling, it was the art of photography and expression potential that really intrigued him.
Shortly afterwards, Adam moved to Southern California. We stayed in touch now and then through MySpace and watched as Adam’s young budding career began to blossom exponentially through social media communities and popular blogs!
It didn’t take long and his name was sprouting up everywhere on the Internet!
In November 2008, Proposition 8 in California happened. California wanted to put a stop to the idea of gay marriage. The defeat of Prop 8 provoked a groundswell of activism within the LGBTQ community and many new political and protest organizations were formed in response to the defeat. It was like Stonewall was happening again!
Adam was in Chicago this weekend speaking at LGBT CHANGE UNITE + FIGHT, EAA Midwest Conference at Columbia College. The conference ran 3 days and was a series of workshops and speakers geared towards activism in the hopes to fire up the Midwest LGBTQ communities.
Adam, his partner Jeff Parshley and some friends attended the Prop 8 rallies in Los Angeles. Afterwords, they got so emotionally stirred they knew they wanted to do something, to make some kind of statement. He and a dozen friends went to the store and bought some paints and duct tape, went back to his apartment and shot photos. Using photography as his voice, Adam placed tape over their mouths and painted the now famous NOH8 on their cheeks, and the next day posted their images to MySpace and Facebook, to demonstrate their silent protest.
Before he knew it, a dozen more friends wanted to do the same thing . Adam shot more photos and those friends also posted them online. The next month 30 of their friends wanted the same photos! It started to grow exponentially. In the 6 months that followed it exploded and nearly 500 people had been photographed and pictures were flooding the Internet.
Soon celebrities want to join in and show their support. To date, 3,000+ faces have been shot by Adam and his team for the NOH8 Campaign. The campaign began with portraits of everyday Californians from all walks of life and soon rose to include politicians, military personnel, newlyweds, law enforcement, artists, celebrities, and many more.
Cindy McCain, wife of former Presidential candidate Senator John McCain, was even photographed by Adam, speaking out on behalf of gay marriage rights as part of a popular ongoing photo campaign. “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.”
The NOH8 Campaign has received overwhelming support from around the world, appearing on various local and national news programs and publications. The images are currently being used on various social networking sites to spread the message of equality, predominantly Facebook and Twitter. Eventually the images are expected to be compiled for a large-scale media campaign. The group just shot their 3rd PSA. There has been talks of a billboard, possible calendar, coffee table books and even a documentary.
Just last month the team shot 500 people in 5 hours in New York City. Adam hopes to tour major cities soon, doing more open shoots and spreading the message across the country. “This is much bigger than just about Prop 8. And when we win this, when Prop 8 is overturned, and it will be, we’re not stopping. It’s about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell….it’s about gay civil rights….it’s about the big picture now!” Groups as far away as Germany and Australia have even started similar campaigns.
Remember when Gay Pride and National Coming Out day was just once a year? Thanks to the power of Social Media and the interconnectedness of the Internet these days, we can make a statement about who we are and show the world our messages. “Activism needs to be a part of your DAILY LIFE and your lifestyle. Not just once a year.”
THE NOH8 store online has t-shirts, bumper stickers, tattoos and my favorite, THE BRACELET! Funds raised by the NOH8 Campaign will be used to continue promoting and raising awareness for Marriage Equality and anti-discrimination on a global level through an educational and interactive media campaign.
Adam will hopefully get back to Chicago later this year for an Open Call NOH8 shoot here. We’ll keep you posted!
Adam Bouska
Adam Bouska MySpace
Adam Bouska FaceBook
http://twitter.com/bouska
NOH8 CAMPAIGN
Michael Snell and Derrick Sorles BEST GAY CHICAGO / BEST GAY NEWS
Chicago Fitness Male Model Robert Gonzalez
ROBERT GONZALEZ is one of Chicago’s Finest Male Models with an amazing body!
We have actually known Robert for about 8 years and have watched him develop and grow!
He has been photographed by some of the world’s top photographers.
He was born in Venezuela and has always had an interest in bodybuilding.
And his hard work has payed off!
And get this – he is also a top florist in Chicago providing
flowers for many top celebrities and fashion photo shoots!
“Clients are always shocked when they meet me,” he laughs.
“There is a misperception about how male florists
should look, and I guess I don’t fit the mold.”
His photo shoot for RUFSKIN with Frank Louis was featured
this week on the world famous BEAUTIFUL MAG site.
Join him on FaceBook and Visit the Robert Gonzalez website
The Best of Gay Chicago
Chicago DJ Jimmy B REmiXed on Live365 – Hi Energy Dance Music
This Dance station became popular among thousands of International listeners from over 100 countries, in just the first 2 months. Started in December 2006, it has developed a great follwing. Broadcaster, ‘DJ Jimmy B’ (based in Chicago) also has a great site of his own with ‘The Hit List’, which shows listeners favorites.
REmiXed! has a lot of Energy Megamixes, Progressive remixed tracks and EuroNRG hits by Suzanne Palmer, Axel F, Milk Inc, Lady Gaga and many others. If you have a party, just turn this station on your MAC or PC and any crowd would start dancing hearing the music coming out from your speakers.<Listen>
For readers who don’t know what Live365 is – it is a community of more than 10,000 broadcasters and millions of listeners. Anybody can become a broadcaster and share their music tastes with millions. Just as Last.fm and Pandora, we have popular tracks, but we also have many custom DJ Mixes, Talk Shows, International Music from all over the world.
REmiXed on Live 365
Jimmy B on FaceBook
REmiXed Group on FaceBook
REmiXed! has a lot of Energy Megamixes, Progressive remixed tracks and EuroNRG hits by Suzanne Palmer, Axel F, Milk Inc, Lady Gaga and many others. If you have a party, just turn this station on your MAC or PC and any crowd would start dancing hearing the music coming out from your speakers.<Listen>
For readers who don’t know what Live365 is – it is a community of more than 10,000 broadcasters and millions of listeners. Anybody can become a broadcaster and share their music tastes with millions. Just as Last.fm and Pandora, we have popular tracks, but we also have many custom DJ Mixes, Talk Shows, International Music from all over the world.
REmiXed on Live 365
Jimmy B on FaceBook
REmiXed Group on FaceBook
WARNING: Excessive exposure to REmiXed! may make you think that you can sing, dance & party all day long. EuroNRG, Dance, Trance & more. Tracks are all complete with club versions played whenever possible… including previously unavailable mixes!
The Best of Gay Chicago
Miss Foozie – Fun and Foozie-licious
If you’re coming to Chicago for a visit, no visit would be complete without meeting Miss Foozie! The unofficial First Lady of Boystown! She can be seen all over town making personal appearances each week at various night spots. Currently, the best way to catch her are Saturday nights at CIRCUIT and Sunday afternoons at ROSCOES. – If you live in Chicago, chances are you have already been kissed the glittery, friendly, effervescent Foozie.
It’s impossible to imagine the Windy City without Miss Foozie brightening up the social scene with a glitter-festooned face, big smile, warm hugs, adored clarion call—”Hello Pineapple!”—and a loving heart bigger than her hair.
“It started as a joke,” Miss Foozie says of her first appearance during her 1997 birthday party at Chicago’s Circuit Nightclub. – What started as a joke catapulted Foozie into the spotlight within a few years. Miss Foozie became a gay household name as the number one Chicago entertainer, nightlife hostess and general purveyor of feeling good featured in every regional establishment and during every special event.
Her local popularity parlayed into national appeal, with Miss Foozie making waves in Hawaii, Florida, New York, D.C., California, Las Vegas and Wisconsin. Her one-of-a-kind charm caught the attention of RuPaul, Kelly Osbourne, Bruce Vilanch, Lady Bunny, as well as film and television producers .
Miss Foozie is not a “drag queen”; Miss Foozie is a “personality.” She is funny! She’ll make you laugh. She will make you feel good. She will also love you because Miss Foozie loves people. She always does.
The Best of Gay Chicago and The New Gay Travel Guide
Feast of Fools – The Number One Best Gay Podcast
Live, from Chicago, it’s Feast of Fools!
The Feast of Fools podcast features cocktails, gossip, news and interviews with some of the worlds most eclectic celebrities, newsmakers, and musicians.
Hosted by the flaming blue Fausto Fernós with his boyfriend Marc Felion, the Feast of Fools has been in the top 50 downloaded comedy podcasts in the world and currently ranks as iTunes’ #1 gay podcast.*With over a million downloads to this date, the Feast of Fools has the distinction of having one of the largest audiences for a comedy show produced from Chicago, and the largest audience for a GLBT-themed podcast in the world. It remains as one of the most popular daily audio programs of its kind for any audience.
When the iTunes Music store celebrated it’s one year anniversary of podcasting, Feast of Fools was chosen as one out of 48 “pioneering shows… helping to bring podcasting from an underground movement to a mainstream phenomenon, [Feast of Fools] helped to pave the way.” -iTunes Music Store, June 28, 2006.
