Senior Brian Dann, who has posted his photo on the Faces of Us blog is working on an art project called “Why Do You Hate H8?” H8, pronounced “hate,” is what some in the LGBT community have dubbed the decision on California’s Proposition 8.

Dann said his vision is to publish a book comprised of art, song lyrics and poems that expands on why people hate Proposition 8 in general. The theatre studies and directing major said he hopes to sell the final product as a fundraiser for LGBT causes.

He was inspired to begin the collection after attending protests of the Defense of Marriage Act signed by President Bill Clinton, which bans gay marriage.

“I discovered that DOMA did two main things,” Dann said in an e-mail to The Beacon. “It defined a marriage as a man and a woman, which is why even in Massachusetts, where we have marriage for same-sex couples, we are still denied over 75 percent of the rights that any heterosexual couple would have.”

DOMA makes it difficult for same-sex couples to do what heterosexual marriages have always been granted, he said. Filling taxes, adoption laws, and even the power of will are denied to every same-sex couple with a marriage or civil union, he said.

“If DOMA is repealed, they might not feel obliged to do anything about it because people in California will still be able to get married, just not in their state,” Dann said. “If it’s not repealed within the next year, than they might have to make the tough decision of either keeping Prop 8 or getting rid of it. Either way, it would set a precedent that could drastically affect things in a way that they might not be prepared for.”

After doing research, Dann said he knew he had to begin working on “Why Do You Hate H8.” While he does not associate himself with any particular group, he hopes to find an organization in the LGBT community who can use the money raised from the book. In the meantime, he said he will continue to support Davis and his endeavors with Faces of us.

“[Davis’s] Web site has gained quite a lot of momentum in the past couple of months,” Dann said. “I think it’s fantastic that in our lives, we have the things like the Internet which can bring people together at lightning speed. Brendan’s campaign is a fantastic way for people to get involved.”