Project Consent
Consent doesn't have to be complicated. Consent is informed (you know what you are saying yes to), freely given (you don't feel obligated to say yes), mutually understandable (all members are aware and there is no language barrier), and demonstrates the clear and absolute willingness to participate in THAT specific sexual activity. The last portion of it indicates that consent needs to be created throughout for every new sexual action and every new sexual encounter because one does not lead to the other and just because you've done it before does not mean that you want to engage in that action again. Consent can be taken away at any time and the withdrawn consent means you MUST stop. Also if there was no "yes" or no "no" that means a no until affirmative consent is created. It is a responsibility that is up to the persons involved to obtain knowledge that they are indeed able to participate in that sexual activity. The elements of consent include:
- 1.) Timing of consent- radical consent means that you are consenting to that sexual activity only at that time
- 2.) Consensual sexual history- consenting on a previous occasion doesn't mean you consented to any sexual encounter in the future
- 3.) Intoxication- intoxication is not an excuse for failing to obtain consent
- 4.) Unclear of mixed signals- mixed messages means that you need to stop, step back, and create consent for particular sexual activity you wish to engage in
- 5.) Silence and passivity- if you haven't said "yes" or "no," it's a no. Lack of active resistance doesn't imply consent
- 6.) Minors (age of consent)- you can't consent when under the age of 17 in New York
*** Check out the other animations in Project Consent's YouTube page***