Love is Love, by Kristina

I grew up in a small town where there was no room for individuality. Everyone was from a farming family, everyone attended church on Sundays, and everyone had the same belief about the homosexual community: "It's just not right." After developing into a young adult, I began to realize that I was "just not right."

For years, I fought with myself about these feelings and feared telling anyone. After almost 7 years of keeping my thoughts to myself, I let everything loose, every little bit. I am a lesbian and I am proud. When a friend offered me the opportunity to pose for the NOH8 Campaign, I wanted to participate for several different reasons.

The first reason being for those who still live in the same silence that I used to live in, for those who are unable to come out for whatever reason. I posed to show them that it's okay to be who you are and to show it with pride. And to show that they are not ever alone.

I posed for my dreams. I dream of being able to walk in public while holding the hand of another woman and not constantly feel like we're being judged. I dream of being able to obtain a marriage license and being able to get married in MY state in front of my friends and family. I dream of the day that homosexuals are not constantly mocked or treated as second-class citizens. I dream of the day that I get to make my own choices about my life and rights, instead of the rest of the world being able to vote on them for me.

Most of all, I posed for myself. To be able to remind myself of my values just by looking at a single picture. To remind myself that, no matter how much those who don't understand me hate my lifestyle, I will never hate them back. NOH8 represents to me the ability to accept and love everyone, no matter what. Love is love, and that's all that matters.