Emily Lopez, the 10-year-old founder of
Lemonaid 4 Autism, has posed for the NOH8 Campaign, which raises
funds and awareness to defeat Proposition 8, California's
voter-approved gay marriage ban.
Emily was photographed with NOH8
Campaign founders Adam Bouska and his partner Jeff Parshley. Her
mouth is duct taped and the campaign's familiar “NOH8” slogan is
written on one cheek as the three peer out from one of her lemonade
stands.
Emily started her lemonade stands at
the age of 5 to bring awareness to the disease that has afflicted her
older brother Tony.
“No one should be hated or not given
rights to live like everyone else,” Carrie
Lopez, Emily's mother, wrote in a post at her blog. “Why do we
always feel the need to sit and tell people how horrible they are?
Why can't we sit and accept each other?”
Emily
posted the picture on the group's Facebook profile.
“If [there] is one thing Emily has
taught me, it is to look beyond the cover and see inside,” she
added.
Famous faces involved in the NOH8
Campaign include: Tommy
Joe Ratliff, rocker Adam Lambert's bass guitarist, Isiah
Thomas, men's basketball coach of the Florida International
University Golden Panthers, and his son, Joshua Zeke Thomas,
actress Tori
Spelling and Cindy
McCain, wife of Arizona Senator John McCain, and their daughter
Meghan, a pro-gay Republican.