Consent is Sexy. Indeed. The campaign has been going on at Longwood University during the past month, along with The Red Flag Campaign and other parts of the I Wont Stand For Campaign created by RAVE, carrying the same message. Although the message is an understandable one with importance, especially with the hook up culture that exists in college, the way that the messages were carried out may not have reached all parts of campus.
The lawn posters littered across campus carried the image of a sexual act between two individuals, followed by one of the Consent is Sexy idealisms. However, the posters had images of only one couple, heterosexual.
On the main website for the campaign, www.consentissexy.net, there are a limited amount of posters that display other types of couples, it seems these posters were not in the selection displayed on campus.
The idea of hook up culture is not just for heterosexual couples. Apps, like Grindr, wouldn’t exist if the culture didn’t apply to all forms of couples. However, because of distinctions still created between the heterosexual couples and the homosexual couples, due to current inequalities, the campaign’s message may not be fully heard.
Some individuals may feel that they don’t need to pay attention to the campaign’s message because it doesn’t apply to them. A message that applies to both sexualities needs to be heard, but if a poster only shows heterosexual couples, then someone who isn’t heterosexual may turn a blind eye.
For example, the campaign was handing out condoms, but seemingly only men’s contraceptives. Someone who is lesbian may not pay attention to the message, or go and talk to the individual running the booth on Brock Commons, because she may think it is only for straight couples. Despite how the message is for all types of sexualities, it may not be fully heard due to misconceptions.
On the same note of passing out condoms, this is not to say it is just men that need to ask for consent. Many of the posters depicted the male advancing on the woman. It is equally important for women to respond, use a form of protection and ask their partner, “Is this okay?” Men are not the only ones that make sexual advances, and can equally become as much a victim as women.
Consent is Sexy. Very sexy. But that is not to say that there are other sexualities that do not need to hear the same message. In the future, it should be made more clear that it is for all couples, and have options for all sexualities.
This is not to say that the campaign does not “respect sexual diversity,” however, it is to say that they need to make it an equal depiction and show that consent is a part of their beliefs.
Perhaps include more of those posters that have homosexual couples on them, or have female condoms to pass out along with the male condoms.
