The Diversity Peer Educators at Southeast Missouri State University held the annual NOH8 Campaign at 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 in Towers Lobby and at 11 a.m. on Nov. 12 in the University Center Lobby.

NOH8 is a charity organization that uses education, advocacy, social media and visual protest to promote marriage, gender and human equality.

Alexander Dunn, senior biomedical sciences and computer sciences major, said the event took place last year as a revamp for the organization after being gone for two years.

The current president of the Diversity Peer Educators, senior Robert Turner, wanted to bring the organization back with a force. After looking around for something important to do, it was seen that the NOH8 Campaign was taking off at a lot of universities, which led to the campaign being brought to Southeast.

With the goal being for a bigger turnout this year compared to last year, Dunn hoped the word got out about the event.

“Last year we had a lot of people come up afterwards and they saw people with their face paint and asked where the event was,” Dunn said. “I was like, ‘Oh you missed it.’”

The organization tried to do more advertising this year using flyers and social media.

“I got invited online, and I thought it would be a fun thing to do to help spread awareness,” Nicholas Ducote, freshman musical theater major, said. “I follow the organization on Facebook as well as LGBT issues, and they are a big organization that fights for equality.”

To take part in the event, it was asked that each person donate $1. NOH8 was then written on each face and duct tape placed on the mouth to represent silencing of the voice. Photos were then taken.

“Half of the money will go towards Colleges Against Cancer, and the other half will be used to fund further things for the organization,” Turner said.

He said that there were tools needed to host events, such as paint and paper, that would need to be paid for.

“The pictures will go on social media and will be posted publicly,” Dunn said.

Dunn and Turner said through the event, they wanted everyone to know that Diversity Peer Educators are back on campus trying to make a new push to becoming better known.

Dunn also added that Southeast is filled with students willing to proclaim the fact that they don’t hold prejudice against others.

“This is a safe campus for anyone to be at,” Dunn said.