Students at the University of Texas protested a new gun law that took effect on Aug. 21, which allows concealed guns to be brought on their state college campuses. The protest was fairly unique in its method: students carried dildos in their bag or displayed them in gun holsters. Thousands of protesters gathered—waving their dildos in the air—in support of banning guns on campus. Protest leader and UT alumna Jessica Jin explained that they used dildos because they were fighting “absurdity with absurdity.” Students are allowed to carry weapons to class, but not sex toys—they are labeled as obscene and the student can be reprimanded.
This protest is the perfect satirical approach to the sensitive issue of gun control. I believe a college campus is the last place that guns should be carried. If I were a student at UT, I would have a serious issue paying attention in class if there was a good chance of there being a loaded firearm in the room. A student could easily grab the gun from someone’s bag and cause more––potentially life-threatening––problems for people than just infringing on that student’s Second Amendment rights.
UT junior Forrest Sullivan was one of the few in support of the new law, stating, “Firearms give women the ability to compensate for the inequality that nature has put on us. I have a fiancée that is 5 feet tall, and she is going through the process of getting her concealed carry because if a man decides to attack her, that is her only option of defense."
This blatant, sexist remark is yet another reason to ban guns on campus. This kind of viewpoint can lead women to believe that they will never be safe against men unless they have a deadly weapon to defend themselves with.
For years now, gun control issues have been endlessly debated with neither side gaining any real ground against the other. This rally was an impactful, yet mocking protest regarding the national views on gun laws. The protest also gained the support of many staff members on campus who are uncomfortable with having guns in their classroom. This endorsement only adds validity to the protest’s message, which began as a joke between friends.
The uniqueness of using a dildo as the main symbol of protest made the anti-gun rally at UT stand out from many others that could otherwise be quite similar. In fact, the protest caught the attention of “The Daily Show,” which recently featured a segment on the student rally. The absurdity that publicly waving a dildo brings has led to this protest being taken seriously, rather than being dismissed by the media as “just another” rally.
The motto of the UT anti-gun movement is “Cocks Not Glocks”—a fitting name for their witty demonstration. While vulgar, it easily draws the attention of anyone who hears it being chanted. All I need to know is: where can I sign up?