Most of the photographs used by politicians to promote themselves are tiresome in the extreme: the dark suit, the carefully coiffed hair, the frozen smile. In that context, the picture used these days by 2nd District Rep. Annie Kuster on her official Facebook page is all the more startling, refreshing and cool.

Kuster’s photograph shows her with a swatch of silver-gray duct tape covering her mouth. On her left cheek, in black and red paint, is the symbol “NOH8.” With her right hand, she has two fingers (Peace? Victory?) pointed at her temple.

What in the world?

The picture was part of a recent congressional photo shoot conducted by the NOH8 (No Hate) Campaign. The group, which promotes marriage equality, created the photo project as a silent protest in response to the passage of Proposition 8, the measure banning same-sex marriage in California and recently overturned by the Supreme Court. The photos feature subjects all with duct tape over their mouths, symbolizing their voices being silenced by the California law and others like it.

To read more, click here.