When it comes to protesting gun laws, we are all used to seeing the protesters with signs, witty slogans and t-shirts. However, students at the University of Texas (UT) have deployed something we aren’t so used to: dildos.

Last year, Texas lawmakers passed a bill that allowed concealed handguns to be carried on college campuses. Although some felt this was a way to make sure there are good people with guns in case of an emergency, many students and faculty felt this would disrupt the comfortable environment their campuses have provided.

One UT student in particular felt this policy was so absurd that she needed to combat it with even more absurdity. When Jessica Jin, a recent UT graduate, found out last October that guns would be permitted on her campus, she did some research and learned that in some cases, guns are more legal to carry than dildos.

“Texas is so sensitive about [dildos] that they’ve written laws crushing that here and there, however, they continue to write laws that advocate violence, perpetuate violence, condone violence, and is apologetic for violence.” Jin said.

Thus, began the quest to “fight absurdity with absurdity.” Jin started by creating a Facebook event called “Cocks Not Glocks: Campus (DILDO) Carry.” The page asked students to strap dildos to their backpacks in protest. Much to Jin’s surprise, over 10,000 students participated in the protest. Jin and her peers passed out donated sex toys for the students to carry. 

The protest received national attention due to its silliness; however, that means the gun law also received much needed national attention.

“They’ve certainly gotten attention,” Joan Neuberger, a professor of Russian history, said of the campaign. “Legally, we have probably lost, at least for now. But culturally, they do a lot to stigmatize the behavior — to say you may have a right, but guns are not acceptable here.”

As for Jessica Jin, she continues to inspire and motivate the students of her campus to stand up against gun carry laws.

“We want to force that kind of conscientiousness on people who are so ingrained in gun culture that they don’t understand the impact they’re having on the people around them.” Jin said to a cheering crowd. “So strap it on, deal with the discomfort, deal with the weird looks. Wear it loud, wear it proud. And don’t take off your dildos until people take their guns home.”