Adam Bouska (born October 31, 1983, in

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...

) is an American

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

photographer who runs a photography studio based out of

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

. Known for pictures of male models in particular, he is considered a rising 'superstar photographer' in the

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

community. Bouska is most recognized for co-creation of the internationally recognized

NOH8 Campaign The NOH8 Campaign (NOH8 meaning "No Hate") is a charitable organization whose mission is to promote LGBT marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest. The campaign was created as photographic ...

. Bouska has worked with familiar faces such as

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

George Takei George Takei (; ja, ジョージ・タケイ; born Hosato Takei (武井穂郷), April 20, 1937) is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS ''Enterprise'' in the televi ...

Pauley Perrette Pauley Perrette (born March 27, 1969) is an American retired actress and singer. She played Abby Sciuto in the television series '' NCIS'' from 2003 to 2018. Early life Perrette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised throughout the so ...

, and

Lisa Ling Lisa J. Ling (born August 30, 1973) is an American journalist, television personality, and author. She is currently the host of ''This Is Life with Lisa Ling '' on CNN. Previously, she was a reporter on Channel One News, a co-host on the ABC dayt ...

. Most recently, Bouska helped create book covers for

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series ''Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recogni ...

Jenny McCarthy Jennifer McCarthy Wahlberg (' Jennifer Ann McCarthy; born November 1, 1972) is an American actress, model, and television personality. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for ''Playboy'' magazine and was later named their Playmate of ...

Jenni Pulos ''Flipping Out'' is an American reality television series that debuted on Bravo on July 31, 2007, and ended on November 20, 2018. The show is centered on designer Jeff Lewis in Los Angeles, California, his executive assistant Jenni Pulos, his ...

and

Meghan McCain Meghan Marguerite McCain (born October 23, 1984) is an American television personality, columnist, and author. She has worked for ABC News, Fox News, and MSNBC. The daughter of politician John McCain and diplomat Cindy McCain, she has been a pub ...

. No stranger to activism, Bouska's photography has aided a variety of charitable causes including a fund-raising calendar for

AIDS Project Los Angeles APLA Health is a non-profit organization that is focused on building health equity and promoting wellbeing for the LGBT and people living with HIV." APLA Health is one of the largest non-profit HIV service organizations in the United States. Its ...

in 2008, a national ad campaign with

Nia Vardalos Antonia Eugenia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962) is a Canadian actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for starring in and writing the romantic comedy film ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' (2002), which garnered her nominati ...

for HelpUsAdopt.org in 2011, an edgy calendar (6 packs / 9 lives) featuring men and their cats to promote adoptions for FoundAnimals.org in 2012, and 'Lights Out', a marriage equality ad campaign for ECOYA in 2013. In addition to his published work, Bouska has made appearances on TV shows including:

Running Russell Simmons ''Running Russell Simmons'' is an American reality television series on Oxygen that premiered on November 2, 2010. The series chronicles the lives of Russell Simmons and his assistants as they manage his business deals, family life and party plann ...

, Giuliana & Bill,

Keeping up with the Kardashians ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian family, Kardashian–Jenner Stepfamily, blended family, airing b ...

The Real Housewives of Orange County ''The Real Housewives of Orange County'' (abbreviated ''RHOC'') is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on March 21, 2006. It has aired sixteen seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several wome ...

The Millionaire Matchmaker ''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' was an American reality television series on Bravo that premiered on January 22, 2008, and is hosted by Patti Stanger. ''The Millionaire Matchmaker'' follows Patti Stanger, owner of the Beverly Hills-based "Milliona ...

, Million Dollar Listing,

The World According to Paris ''The World According to Paris'' is an American reality television series focusing on the daily life of Paris Hilton. It aired on Oxygen from June 1, to July 20, 2011. On August 23, 2011, it was announced that Oxygen did not renew the series for a ...

Hollywood Exes ''Hollywood Exes'' is a 2012-2014 American reality television series that aired for three seasons on VH1. The series chronicles the lives of seven ex-wives of famous men. The series led to one spin-off, ''Atlanta Exes'', which ran for one season ...

, MelB: It's a Scary World, and Dog the Bounty Hunter. Bouska is openly gay. He lives in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Bouska was recognized as the community's leading photographer at the West Hollywood awards in 2007 & 2010, selected as one of ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States *''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...

s '40 Under 40' in 2010, featured as one of ''

Out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

'' magazine's 'OUT100' in 2011 and a

Shorty Award The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honors the most innovative work globally in digital and social media by brands, agencies, nonprofits and creators. The Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of exce ...

winner for Photography in 2012.

NOH8 Campaign

In November 2008, in response to the narrow approval in California of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage, Bouska and his partner, Jeff Parshley, founded the

to promote the overturn of this ban. While beginning at a grassroots level, by April 2009 the campaign had seen support from such celebrities as

Leslie Jordan Leslie Allen Jordan (April 29, 1955 – October 24, 2022) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and singer. His television roles include Beverley Leslie on ''Will & Grace'' (2001–2006 and 2017–2020), several characters on television in ...

Shanna Moakler Shanna Lynn Moakler (; born March 28, 1975) is an American model, actress, and reality television star. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. After winner Chelsi Smith won the Mi ...

, and

RichGirl RichGirl was an American R&B vocal girl group consisting of four members: Audra Simmons, Christina "Brave" Williams, Kristal Lyndriette Smith (then known as Lyndriette and now known as Kristal, a member of June's Diary) and Amber Streeter (no ...

; and became involved in the Miss USA 2009 controversy. The campaign has now gained the support of other notables, including Johnny Depp, Liza Minnelli, Miley Cyrus, Annie Lennox, Kathy Griffin, Denise Richards, Jane Lynch, Mark Hoppus, Lisa Edelstein,

Rose McGowan Rósa Arianna "Rose" McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is an American actress. After her film debut in a brief role in the comedy ''Encino Man'' (1992), McGowan achieved wider recognition for her performance in the dark comedy ''The Doom Generati ...

Erin Cahill Erin Jessica Cahill (born January 4, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Jen Scotts in ''Power Rangers Time Force'', Ted Mosby's sister Heather in '' How I Met Your Mother'', and Kendra Burke in '' Saving Grace''. S ...

and Steve-O.

References

External links

Official website and blog

Official photography website
*
Adam Bouska
at Model Mayhem
NOH8 interview on CNN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouska, Adam 1983 births Living people American agnostics American photographers American gay artists American LGBT photographers American LGBT rights activists People from Decatur, Illinois LGBT people from Illinois Shorty Award winners 21st-century American LGBT people

NOH8 Campaign

See also

References

External links