Consent is Complicated AND We Need to Continue the Dialogue

As any typical social scientists, I have concerns when social movements edge into necessary but extreme spaces. The #metoomovement is no exception. However, as any social movement that gains momentum it’s created much needed dialogue about consent that is finally coming to mainstream spaces.
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We are learning more and more that consent lives in a grey space and that it’s complicated and nuanced. .
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It is not always so simple as the evil faceless stranger lurking in the shadows who maliciously sexually assault the young coed walking home from a party. More often than not the perpetrator is not some evil doer but a friend, a neighbor, a partner, someone with their own thoughts and feelings. This makes things messier, more difficult to navigate. .
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More often than not conversations about consent are happening way too late and are only discussed when extreme behaviors happen versus when an exchange of words feels coercive or goes against someone’s boundaries or limits. .
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In the end, it is so complicated yet we are finally talking about it! We have so far to go but as a society we’re finally dipping a toe into the messiness that exists with consent. This courage needs to be recognized and nurtured because we still have so far to go but good for us for being willing. .
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Learning Good Consent is an amazing zine curated by @cindy_crabb that illustrates just how deep and complicated conversations and thoughts about consent can be. An excellent resource!