Page 10 - My FlipBook

The University of Michigan Sexual Assault Prevention and
Awareness Center has this great guide to consent issues:
• Appearance or clothing. The way a person dresses,
dances, or smiles doesn’t give you permission to touch
them without asking.
• Relationship status. Just because someone is your
girlfriend or boyfriend doesn’t mean they want to have sex
with you.
• Previous activity. If you’ve had sex in the past, it doesn’t
mean you consent to all future sex. Same thing goes for
kissing and anything else involving your body.
• Silence, passivity, lack of resistance, or immobility.
A person’s silence isn’t 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 not
clearly agreeing to sexual activity.
• Incapacitation. Alcohol consumption or use of other
drugs can render a person incapable of giving consent.
Alcohol is often used to target individuals and by
perpetrators to excuse their own actions.

SCENARIO: MAKE SPACE TO LISTEN
Here is an example of people respecting consent in romantic relationships:

Margot and Alison hang out and make out whenever they can, but
they haven’t had sex. One weekend, Alison’s parents are going out of
town and she decides to invite Margot to stay the night. But Alison
is nervous because she doesn’t want to have sex—she doesn’t feel
emotionally ready. Via text, she asks Margot if she’d like to sleep
over and adds that she would love to make out but isn’t ready to
have sex. Margot texts back, “Yes!! Of course! We can keep our
shorts on.” That weekend is great. They watch a movie, then make

10 YOU DO YOU