In this time of the #MeToo movement, we need to talk about sexual consent in an open and firm way. In a nutshell, sexual consent is when you and your partner both agree to have sex. There are a few things you need to know about sexual consent and I’m going to discuss them in the next two blogs.
1.Sexual consent MUST be explicit. You can never assume that the person has given their consent for sex, if for example they agreed to kiss in the bedroom. The only way to be sure is if the other person actually tells you.
2. You can ALWAYS change your mind. If at any point, even after sex has started, one of you decides they want to stop, then you stop.
3.You get the FINAL say over what happens with your body. It should not be implied by things like your past behavior, what you’re wearing etc… For example, even if you’ve have had sex with this person before, it doesn’t mean next time you are kissing this person, you are going to have sex with them again.
I will continue discussing a few more points in the next blog.
Dana Scicluna Azar is a relationship and sex advisor at willingness. She offers therapy to both individuals and couples. She can be contacted on dana@willingness.com.mt.