Consent and How It Relates to Harassment

Consent

and how it relates to harassment

Consent is a mutual agreement between participants, whether it be male and female, or both of the same sex, to engage in sexual activity. There are many ways to give consent, and some of those are discussed below. Consent has to be verbal, verbally agreeing to different sexual activities can help both you and your partner respect each other’s boundaries. Consent must also be voluntarily given and is absolutely not true consent if a person is being subjected to any type of pressure. When engaging in sexual activity, the big idea behind consent is about communication, and it is a requirement that communication happens every time.

Giving consent for one activity, night, or one time, doesn’t mean giving consent for more or repeated sexual contact. For example, having sex with anybody in the past doesn’t give that person permission to have sex with you again in the future. Either party can withdraw their consent at any point if they ever feel uncomfortable, this including the duration of the sexual activity. It is important to communicate to your partner that you are no longer comfortable with this activity and want to stop immediately. The best way to ensure both parties are comfortable with any sexual activity is to talk about it before engagement.

There are a few great ways to giving or asking for consent. Some ways include using phrases, or words when you want to change the type or degree of sexual activity, with phrases like “Is this okay?” Another example of giving consent is to clearly agree to certain activities, either by saying “yes” or another acknowledging statement, like “I’m open to trying.” Using physical cues to let the other person know you’re comfortable taking things to the next level is not always the best way to get consent. Both parties have to make sure they are verbally asking if they have consent.

There are many ways that illustrate that consent should not be assumed. Firstly, when your partner says no, they mean it. No means no, it doesn’t mean engage in the sexual activity in anyway, shape or form. Secondly, you should never assume that the way a person dresses, looks or acts, means that they to have sex with you. Thirdly, consent to engage in one sexual activity at one time is not consent to engage in a different sexual activity or to engage in the same sexual activity on a later occasion. Fourthly, if a person is silent it is never to be considered consent. A person who does not respond to attempts to engage in sexual activity, even if they do not verbally say no or resist physically, is also never to be considered agreeing to sexual activity. Lastly, alcohol consumption or use of other drugs can render a person incapable of giving consent. If someone is either drunk or on usage of drugs, it is best to tell the person they are with to take them home.

In a robust relationship, it is extremely important to discuss and respect each others boundaries consistently. It is absolutely not ok to think that once someone consents to an activity, it means they are consenting to it anytime in the future as well. Whether it’s the first time or the hundredth time, a hookup, or even a committed relationship,