The
11th Speaker on Monday’s ‘Town Hall in the Great Hall’ discussion on
fee regulation declared:
“Opponents
[of deregulation]… have no problem with student money being used to hold a
‘radical sex week.’” http://honisoit.com/2014/08/live-blog-town-hall-meeting-at-the-great-hall/
 |
| Credit: Alexandra Mildenhall |
While
I dispute that opponents of fee deregulation have bizarrely united to support
the USU’s Radical Sex and Consent Day, they (nay, all students!) undoubtedly
should.
Radical
Sex and Consent Day encourages the re-learning of the abysmal Sex Education
taught in school. Unlike your year 10 Health Class, RSCD will acknowledge that
sex is about more than ‘not having it,' STIs, and avoiding pregnancy. It aims
to educate students on classroom silences like queer sex, kink and the female
orgasm (spoiler alert: it exists).
But
more than vulva puppets and blindfolded lube tasting, Radical Sex and Consent Day is
about starting a conversation. A conversation that seeks to normalise students
speaking about sex, personal boundaries, and seeking active consent.
 |
| Credit: Liam Carrigan |
People
have commented to me in the past week that the proposition on the RSCD T-Shirts
‘you don’t owe sex to anyone’ isn’t very radical. However, even in our
progressive campus bubble, unwanted sexual behavior is commonplace.
At the
USU Board Election Soapbox this year a candidate was heckled about her
appearance before she could even begin speaking about her policies. Non-consensual waist touching is commonplace
when students speak to each other at Manning and Hermann’s. Earlier this week a
tutor of mine asked my class if a lawyer could argue a wom*n consented to sex
if she was ‘dressed like a prostitute.’ As if that was something that was ever
okay to posit, even in the hypothetical.
Even
more telling is that while wearing the RSCD shirt a member of the organising team
was catcalled on King-Street: “You owe sex to me love!”
If
Radical Sex and Consent Day isn’t worth student money then please tell me what
is.
BEBE D'SOUZA
Vice-President / Director of Radical Sex and Consent Day
You
can read about the full line up for Radical Sex and Consent Day here:
I am so so sorry to hear about the catcalling victim, that's so disappointing. I hope that interaction, though painful, has spurred on everyone's determination - Madison M x
ReplyDelete