Miss USA Alyssa Campanella supports the
NOH8
Campaign, which raises awareness and funds for gay rights causes,
including ending California's 2008 voter-approved gay marriage ban,
Proposition 8.
The 21-year-old Campanella won her
title in a competition held Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada and will go
on to compete for the title of Miss Universe in a contest to be held
in Brazil later this year.
The NOH8 Campaign, which is helmed by
photographer-activist Adam Bouska and his partner Jeff Parshley,
photographs celebrities and everyday folks with their mouths duct
taped and the campaign's familiar “NOH8” slogan often written on
one cheek.
In her photograph, Campanella is
wearing her crown and Miss California USA sash.
Former Miss USA Shanna Moakler also
supports the campaign. And three former Miss California title
holders – Nicole Johnson, Tamiko Nash and Raquel Beezley – have
also posed for the campaign.
Campanella's support comes two years
after former Miss California Carrie Prejean attained celebrity status
among Christian conservatives after she claimed she lost the Miss USA
contest because she opposed gay marriage. She went on to align
herself with the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the
nation's most vociferous opponent of gay marriage. And she attained
rock star status among conservatives opposed to marriage equality when she
said, “God chose me for that moment.” But
her flame burned out as allegations surfaced that she had filmed sex
tapes for a former boyfriend.