Voice for Equality: Cindy McCain

Cindy McCain is an American businesswoman, and philanthropist, and the wife of United States Senator and 2000 and 2008 presidential candidate John McCain of Arizona. She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona as the daughter of wealthy beer distributor Jim Hensley. She married John McCain in 1980 and they had three children together as well as adopting another. From 1988 to 1995 she founded and ran a non-profit organization, the American Voluntary Medical Team, that organized trips by medical personnel to disaster-struck or war-torn third-world areas. Upon her father's death in 2000, she inherited majority control and became chair of Hensley & Co., one of the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors in the United States. She participated in both of her husband's presidential campaigns and continues to be an active philanthropist and serves on the boards of Operation Smile, CARE and HALO Trust, frequently making overseas trips in conjunction with their activities. Learn more here.

On January 20, 2010, it was announced that Cindy McCain had posed for the NOH8 (No Hate) campaign to demonstrate her support for the freedom to marry. [Link] NOH8’s Adam Bouska has photographed thousands of subjects since California passed Proposition 8 in 2008. All of the subjects are photographed with duct tape over their mouths to symbolize that their voices aren’t being heard on the subject of marriage equality. The NOH8 campaign posted the following statement on their website in conjunction with Ms. McCain's photograph:

In the year since we've started the NOH8 Campaign, we've often been surprised at some of the different individuals who have approached us showing their support. Few, though, have surprised us more than Cindy McCain - the wife of Senator John McCain and mother to vocal marriage equality advocate Meghan McCain. The McCains are one of the most well-known Republican families in recent history, and for Mrs. McCain to have reached out to us to offer her support truly means a lot. Although we had worked with Meghan McCain before and were aware of her own position, we'd never really thought the cause might be something her mother would get behind. We have a huge amount of respect for both of these women for being brave enough to make it known they support equal marriage rights for all Americans. [Link]

Freedom to Marry salutes Cindy McCain as a Voice for Equality! Learn about other Voices for Equality here.

If Ms. McCain's support inspires you, get involved!

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