September 19

With a side of pecs:

Colby Melvin

Brought up to be a "Southern gentleman," LGBT Rights activist Colby Melvin got a job in the oil and gas industry after graduating from college in Mobile, Alabama. He worked in a major management position while assisting in the recovery efforts following the 2010 Gulf Coast oil spill.

However, one of his bosses discovered that Colby was gay, which unfortunately led to corporate bullying. Even so, Colby stood his ground, determined not to hide his sexual orientation. He came out to friends and his family and left the Gulf of Mexico job, immediately shifting his career emphasis to LGBT activism, with special emphasis on marriage equality.

Colby now works as a spokesmodel for Full Frontal Freedom (FFF), a coalition of independent artists and media executives who use their talent and creativity to raise awareness and enhance civil discourse. Colby appeared in an FFF video that was a parody of a One Direction hit, and that “Disclosure” video (at end of post) was one of the most-watched political videos of the 2012 campaign season. For his work on that video Colby received the Human Rights Award for Political Performing Arts from the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in New York.

Colby recently announced his engagement to Brandon Brown, and Gabriel Gastelum, who designed and compiled their engagement album (and took the two photos above), said, "I’ve worked a lot with these two and they have become incredible friends. No fancy lights, no magazine or online features, no concepts. Not this time. Just love. Colby and Brandon are fighting hard for their love. It shouldn’t have to be that way. It’s hard to love yourself, let alone someone else, when there are a lot of ignorant people out there who don’t accept you for who you are. Well, you know what? Screw them. Yeah. I said it. It doesn’t matter who you love. Underneath it all, it’s the same love. Colby and Brandon. Thank you so much for letting me capture your love. It was truly special."

You likely do not know that Colby Melvin and his fiancé Brandon Brown have both worked as Andrew Christian underwear models. Colby took that job because it combined his love of politics with his flair for entertainment – a perfect fit (pun intended).

A photo from Colby's modeling days:

Last year Colby starred in Full Frontal Freedom's "Disclosure" political video: