When California's Proposition 8 narrowly secured the majority vote in last November's election, opponents of the bill cried out from across the country in a multitude of forms-from impassioned letter-writing campaigns to mass public demonstrations. For photographer Adam Bouska, the response came in the form of duct tape and red paint.No, the photographer didn't hold the California Supreme Court hostage. Instead Bouska developed a pictorial series known as the "NOH8" campaign along with his partner Jeff Parshley as a way of protesting the ruling against same-sex marriage.

Calling on celebrities, models, political figures and everyday American citizens, Bouska began photographing subjects with the words "NOH8" painted on their cheeks and a strip of duct tape across their mouths to protest the Prop 8 ruling and, as his Web site declares, symbolize "their voices not being heard." According to the organization's Web site, the photos will eventually be compiled and used in a billboard and magazine campaign.

To drive Bouska and Parshley's message home at Brandeis, Katie Kaufman '12, a member of Brandeis' Democracy for America, decided to organize a "NOH8" photoshoot for the Brandeis community. "It was important to hold this event to remind people about what happened in California last November with the passing of Prop 8 and to raise awareness about the other states like Maine and Washington, which have initiatives on the ballot this November to do the same thing that happened in California last year," she explained of her decision to form the event.

Between 5 and 10 p.m. on Oct. 20 and 21 in the Shapiro Campus Center, dozens of Brandeis students lined up to take both individual and group photos with the famed "NOH8" slogan painted on their cheeks and a strip of duct tape placed across their mouths, photographed with the help of student photographer Max Shay '11.

For those who were too camera-shy to snap a photo of themselves, DFA provided a wealth of information to help further the GLBTQ equal rights cause, including a petition to end the military's controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The club also provided ways for students to e-mail their congressmen and encourage them to sponsor the newly formed "Respect for Marriage Act," which calls for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.

"Everyone was really respectful, and a lot of people who did not know about the event just passed by and decided to participate," says Kaufman. In fact, she estimates that approximately 160 Brandeis students showed up between the two days in order to get their voices heard-symbolically speaking, of course.

"It is a campaign that is bringing attention from mainstream culture to the queer civil rights movement," said student Parker Fader '10 of his decision to participate in the campaign on Tuesday night. "It was an incredibly empowering experience for me to help provide another face to queer movement."

While some may question the efficacy of the "NOH8" initiative's influence after the Californian voter's decision landed in November of last year, Kaufman insists that the campaign is still crucial to the human rights cause: "There are still thousands of individuals living in the United States that don't have the same rights as their fellow citizens. This project causes people to start thinking about Prop 8 again and reminds us that we have to keep the conversation going and get voters out to the polls in order to defeat this hateful legislation."

The photographs taken during this event will be made available for purchase on Nov. 3 at the DFA coffeehouse at Cholmondeley's.

"Everyone who participated was great, and they got to show off a little bit of their individuality while coming together to fight a common cause," Kaufman explained. It is a movement that the namesake of this very university would no doubt smile upon.