Let’s Talk About Consent

By Victoria Costello

SC Staff Writer

On Thursday, March 26 in Beers Lecture Hall, Professor McClanahan organized an event showing the film “The Line” about sex and sexual consent followed by an open discussion.

“The Line” is a documentary that presents the story of a young woman who is raped when a one-night stand far from home goes terribly wrong. In the aftermath, as she struggled to make sense of what happened, she decided to make a film about the relationship between her own experience and the tangle of political, legal, and cultural questions that surround issues of sex and consent.

After watching the film, there was a facilitated group discussion about to start the conversation about consent.

Some topics of discussion include: the sexually objectified female image portrayed in the media, our hypersexualized culture, the grey areas of consent, and ways that we can create a culture of consent on campus.

“I organized this event partially due to Women’s History Month, but also because sexual assault is such a big issue on campus. What we need to do is take this discussion and bring this to the students to discuss about what consent means, and to help them feel confident,” said McClanahan.

The discussion included an examination of the multi-faceted term that “consent” exists as. A few students touched on the failure of consent to be viewed as a multi-step process. Consent is not a green light go phrase, and a simple “yes” by your partner does not allow consent for everything. Furthermore, consent can change at any point. Just because you agreed to something doesn’t mean your voice has been lost, you can still say no.

Additionally, the discussion included a reference to a free app known as “Circle of 6,” which helps prevent violence before it happens. The app allows the user to enter the phone numbers of six people. By choosing the corresponding icon to the situation you’re in, the app sends a message to your six contacts.

The RAINN Network is a source of information regarding sexual assault.

There will be a sexual assault awareness open forum on Wednesday, April 8 at 6:00 PM in Beers Lecture Hall. If you, or someone you know have been affected by rape, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking, the Victims Options in the Campus Environment (V.O.I.C.E.) Center on campus allows a safe haven for individuals to explore their options and heal.

Remember, you are not alone and consent is sexy!

Email Victoria at:

vcostello@live.esu.edu