The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is sponsoring a NOH8 Awareness Week photo shoot, which they began doing last year, in front of Dick Smith Library this week from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The purpose of the NOH8 Awareness week is to raise awareness of gender and human equality alongside LGBTQ resources. The NOH8 campaign formed from the 2008 Proposition 8 in California that banned same-sex marriage.

According to the organization’s mission statement: “The NOH8 Campaign is a charitable organization whose mission is to promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest.

Anyone walking by Dick Smith Library during the photo shoot this week will see that there has been overwhelming support and participation in this campaign. Participants of the photo shoot are having the “NOH8” logo temporarily tattooed on their cheek. While not required, it is suggested that they wear white t-shirts. They will stand against a white background to keep the emphasis on the message. Many participants also wear duct tape (which is provided) over their mouth to represent the silenced voices.