Exhibit puts a face on Prop. 8

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Proposition 8 supporters and opponents will be paying close attention to the California Supreme Court on Thursday for a possible decision to uphold the same-sex marriage ban -- or not. With 18,000 such marriages at bay, expect rallies up and down the state.

South African photographer Gideon Mendel has his own take on same-sex marriage with a new multimedia project, “13LoveStories.com,’ presented by the UCLA Art | Global Health Center.

The project encompasses Mendel’s audio-video slideshows of 13 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples on “13LoveStories.com.’ Many are parents, including Raymond and Byron, above. In conjunction with the web galleries, Mendel’s portraits will be exhibited in UCLA’s Bruin Plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, with some of the couples on hand to share their stories.

Before this project, Mendel spent years documenting the plight of AIDS patients in Africa and, in 2007, photographed 12 individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles.

-- Sherry Stern

Video: Gideon Mendel / ‘13LoveStories.com’