An office that is gagged together stays together. Er … that might not be the exact phrase, but a photo from Thursday’s NOH8 photo event in the Capitol shows Rep. Mike Honda’s (D-Calif.) office is quite the tight-knit bunch. The office employees gathered and posed around Honda — who was one of 25 Members to mug for the camera to oppose California’s ban on same-sex marriage — showing they are not afraid to have a little fun in the company of their boss. Rep. Mike Honda's staffers surround their boss in solidarity at the NOH8 photo shoot Thursday on Capitol Hill. (Courtesy Michael Shank.) "As vice-Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, I, and my staff, proudly supported the NO H8 campaign, a grassroots initiative that opposes discriminatory legislation, like California's Proposition 8 that bans same-sex marriage, and supports people who continue to have their voices silenced all over the world because of who they love,” Honda said in a statement. Current and former staffers in Honda’s office have told HOH they call themselves “Hondistas,” and the office likes to foster its staffers and keep them around longer than the average tenure for staffers in offices on the Hill. Other Members who showed up to support NOH8’s mission include Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), Charlie Rangel (N.Y.), Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) and Al Green (Texas). The event was organized by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). “I believe that marriage equality should be the law of the land,” Schiff said in a statement. “That’s why I am proud to support the NOH8 campaign and helped organize this photo shoot so other Members could participate.”
