GUEST POST: F.A.I.R. Opens Shepard Fairey Online Store

A Unite the Fight guest post from the co-founders of F.A.I.R.:

Andrew Oldershaw and I, Dayna Frank, worked together as fellow members of Homotracker to produce the anti-Prop 8 parody Mac/PC PSAs. After the election, we co-founded F.A.I.R. (with a dozen other energized young activists) in the aftermath of Prop 8. F.A.I.R. assists and develops high impact initiatives to create bridges between communities and maintain the media focus on the movement.

With the support and encouragement of Obey & Shepard Fairey, F.A.I.R. is privileged to announce the debut of the Shepard Fairey DEFEND EQUALITY / LOVE UNITES image merchandise online store at www.justfair.us.

All proceeds will go directly to fund grassroots efforts and actions within our community, related to LGBT civil rights in California and across the country. Our press release is below with more detail. We’d appreciate and welcome the support of your organizations in sharing the link, the release, and start gearing up!
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LGBT ACTIVIST GROUP LAUNCHES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH STREET ARTIST SHEPARD FAIREY TO RAISE MONEY FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY FIGHT

LOS ANGELES -- March 12, 2009

Freedom Action Inclusion Rights (F.A.I.R.), a Southern California-based grassroots organization fighting for marriage equality And the repeal of California's Proposition 8, today announced it has formed a new partnership with famed street artist Shepard Fairey - whose iconic poster of President Barack Obama is now featured at the Smithsonian - to use Fairey's 'Love Unites' marriage equality poster to raise money for the battle for marriage equality in California.

"We are so honored to have Shepard as a partner in our effort to ensure we have the financial resources we need to secure marriage equality in the State of California," said FAIR co-founder Andrew Oldershaw. "Every cent we raise through this partnership will be invested in this fight."

Through its partnership with Shepard Fairey, F.A.I.R. has created an online store www.justfair.us which provides supporters of equal rights with the opportunity to purchase t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, and other items featuring Fairey's ' Love Unites ' image, with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward efforts to repeal Proposition 8 and secure equality for all in the State.

"Everyone should have the right to marry the one they love, in this State, and throughout the nation," said Fairey, who has so generously granted F.A.I.R. the right to use the Love Unites image to benefit the fight for marriage equality. "I look forward to working with F.A.I.R. and others in the grassroots LGBT equal rights movement to move us toward realizing the dream of true equality for everyone."

FAIR (Freedom, Action, Inclusion, Rights) was formed in the aftermath of Proposition 8 by a group of young LGBT advocates fighting for legislative equality and judicial freedom in California and beyond. FAIR aims to harness the unity and cohesion of this movement by bringing awareness to marriage equality and helping to bridge social and geographic gaps of other LGBT organizations through the execution of high impact events and programs.