Students at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) are protesting a new state law that allows concealed firearms on college campuses by carrying dildos around campus openly.
The new law, dubbed ‘Campus Carry’, came into effect at UT Austin just yesterday, but has been enforceable state legislation since the start of this month.
It allows students and faculty members with valid licenses to carry concealed handguns on public university campuses, including UT Austin, so that people can protect themselves in the event of a campus shooting.
"Campus carry will not make us safer," Kailey Moore, a student at UT Austin and one of the organisers of the protest, tells The Feed.
Moore isn't the only one sceptical of the law's ability to keep patrons safe. Some faculty members have voiced concern over their personal safety during class.
“With a huge group of students, my perception is that the risk that a disgruntled student might bring a gun into the classroom and start shooting at me has been substantially enhanced by the concealed-carry law,” writes Daniel Hamermesh in an open letter to the UT Austin president. Hamermesh was a former an economics professor at UT Austin.
Students of UT Austin have also pointed out that though concealed firearms are now permitted on campus, dildos are not, as they promote obscenity under Texas state law.
“No person or organisation will distribute or display on the campus any writing or visual image, or engage in any public performance, that is obscene. A writing, image, or performance is ‘obscene’ if it is obscene as defined in Texas Penal Code, Section 43.21 or successor provisions, and is within the constitutional definition of obscenity as set forth in decisions of the United States Supreme Court,” reads the UT Austin charter.
In protest of the new law, UT Austin students will be hosting a ‘Dildo Carry’ from 24 August to 6 September. The protest is championed by violin performance graduate, Jessica Jin (below).
“You would receive a citation for taking a DILDO to class before you would get in trouble for taking a gun to class. Heaven forbid the penis,” reads the Facebook event.
Students have shared photos of themselves carrying dildos, strapping them to their clothes and backpacks, and even juggling them. They have been shared on social media with the hashtag #CocksNotGlocks.
Moore says, "A lot of people seem to be really excited about carrying their dildos. I haven't seen many students actually upset about it, just a few today."
