"Days of Our Lives" for Equal Rights!
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014Iconic soap opera DAYS OF OUR LIVES has been on the air for fifty years, garnering generations of fans worldwide. The groundbreaking show has been a pioneer of LGBT visibility in daytime drama, most recently becoming the first daytime TV show to feature a wedding between two men (fan favorites Will & Sonny).
DAYS has not only supported the LGBT community on-screen, but they've been showing their support off-screen for years! #NOH8 teamed up with the cast of DAYS a few months back to broadcast their message of support to the world, creating a one-of-a-kind group shot featuring some of Salem's most memorable characters. Both current and former DAYS cast were posing for NOH8 even before that, with over twenty-five cast members posing to date. We're excited to highlight all of that support in today's photo blog. Click each photo to enlarge!
Front: Greg Vaughan (Eric Brady), Freddie Smith (Sonny Kiriakis), Nathan Owens (Cameron Davis). Middle: Billy Hayes (Doug Williams), Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts), Aaron & Griffin Kunitz (Johnny DiMera), Eileen Davidson (Kristen DiMera), Galen Gering (Rafe Hernandez). Back: Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton Kiriakis), Blake Berris (Nick Fallon), Kristian Alfonso (Hope Brady), Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans), Joseph Mascolo (Stefano DiMera), Kate Mansi (Abigail Deveraux).
Deidre Hall (Marlena) & Joseph Mascolo (Stefano)
Freddie Smith (Sonny; 2014 & 2011 NOH8 Portraits)
Kristian Alfonso (Hope) & Greg Vaughan (Eric)
Galen Gering (Rafe) & Kate Mansi (Abigail)
“The thing I can’t tolerate? Intolerance! To judge, limit, or stereotype someone based on their race or sexual preference is straight up ignorant. Fortunately, I was raised in a family that preached equality and so it never seemed anything but normal to think that way. But some people didn't have that privilege. Thank you Adam Bouska and so many others at NOH8 for working tirelessly to help educate those who were less fortunate and to help make a difference with this awesome campaign.” - Galen Gering
Suzanne Rogers (Maggie) & Billy Hayes (Doug)
Nathan Owens (Cameron) & Lauren Koslow (Kate)
Nathan Owens thought this quote from Martin Luther King Jr. summed up why he supports NOH8: “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Aaron & Griffin Kunitz (Johnny) and Blake Berris (Nick)
Eric Martsolf (Brady) & Eileen Davidson (Kristen)
"I'm so excited to be part of the NOH8 CAMPAIGN! Just doing my part to help change the world one photo at a time!” said Eileen of her participation. Eric Martsolf (Brady Black; above) posed for NOH8 early on, which is why he's not pictured in the current cast group shot. Several former DAYS cast members also posed for NOH8 during their time on the show, including Daytime Emmy Winner Chandler Massey (ex-Will Horton). Check out Chandler and his fellow DAYS Alumni below!
Chandler Massey (ex-Will, 2011 & 2012 NOH8 Portraits)
Molly Burnett (ex-Melanie Jonas) & Casey Deidrick (ex-Chad DiMera)
Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy Wesley) & Crystal Chappell (ex-Dr. Carly Manning)
Real-life couple Brandon Beemer (ex-Shawn Brady) & Nadia Bjorlin (ex-Chloe Lane).
Taylor Spreitler (ex-Mia McCormick) & Camila Banus (ex-Gabi Hernandez)
Brant Daugherty (ex-Brian)