Sex Toys Displayed At UT Protest Against Campus Carry
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AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) - Hundreds of University of Texas at Austin students displayed sex toys during an anti-gun rally on campus Wednesday.
The protest fell on the first day of the fall semester; the first semester since the Campus Carry Law went into effect August 1.
The law allows those 21 and older with a Concealed Handgun License to carry a concealed handgun in classrooms and in dorms at state universities and colleges.
Private institutions can opt out of the law.
Opponents at UT say they distributed the sex toys, which are normally not allowed to be displayed on campus, to highlight what is now allowed at state universities and colleges.
Kailey Moore, a senior and one of the protest organizers says,
"We don't just want to carry sex toys on campus. We just want guns out of the classrooms. It's absurd to carry a deadly weapon to class," said Moore.
The University said students were allowed to display the sex toys on campus because they were considered free speech.
Supporters of the law like Forrest Sullivan watched the protest.
"I'm like bring whatever you want, just as long as you're not trying to hurt people with it. I think it's childish at best. I think it demeans their opposition," said Sullivan.
He says under the law, responsible gun owners can protect themselves and others against a deranged person. "People say well, it's the police, it's their job. They're right here. In two minutes, a bad person can wreak a hell of a lot of havoc. In 30 seconds."
Students and professors are vowing to fight until the law is repealed.
Joan Neuberger, a professor of history at UT since 1990 said, "We're not going away. We want to make sure they know how angry we are about his. We're going to continue to protest the law. We're going to protest on campus, in the legislature. This is our right."
But she and Kailey Moore say they know it will be very difficult to change the law because the state legislature is controlled by Republicans.
Despite all the attention, Alec Rodriguez, a freshman, says he has a lot more on his mind than this debate.
"On a scale of 1-10, it's a zero. It's not that important to me. I understand the purpose but I don't think they're taking the right approach because people think it's a joke," said Rodriguez.
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