I was fortunate to be involved in the development of a sexual assault prevention program starting in 2008 at the University of Windsor with Dr. Charlene Senn. The program (the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge and Act or EAAA) was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2018 and found to be a preventative program against sexual assault for university women.
Here’s the interview I had with the Globe and Mail.
We need to ask for consent is within relationships, first date, first sex act, every time, and yes after 20 years of marriage, every single time. Boundaries change daily and we need to be able to communicate our needs without guilt or shame. Because its My Body and My Choice. We need more open conversations on sexual negotiation especially as women in the world. We need to break down myths about sexual assault. No she wasn’t asking for it because of how she is dressed. Patriarchy says ‘she was asking for it’. We need to be able to acknowledge socialization as a female in the world be a good girl. We need to be able to assess risk in a situation, especially of an acquaintance. And we need to learn to be able to act with our voices, our fists, our resistance to being objectified as women. And for the record, no means no. First time, second time, every time.
#consentissexy #nomeansno #relationships #boundaries #communication #couplegoals