Consent Sex Ed Needs To Be Taught In Schools

The Alberta Catholic school system does not have consent based sexual education in their curriculum. But they should! Students should learn early on that "yes means yes" in order to reduce the likelihood of sexual violence.

The Alberta Catholic Schools have so far not included any consent based information or focus in their sexual education curriculum. We are a group of undergraduate university students in Edmonton, Canada who wish to change this! We hope to raise awareness to the need for consent based "yes means yes" style of education in schools so as to reduce the levels of sexual violence experienced by all genders. We are doing this because...

Keeping the yes means yes conversation going on social media will one day translate into school sexual education.

Because even if my body has a physical response to it, it doesn't mean that I've consented to it.

No means no is illusive. It's time to teach students about affirmative consent: yes means yes.

Because I shouldn't feel as though I'm being guilted, tricked, blackmailed, or shamed into sexual activity.

We can avoid all blurred lines by educating our children early on.

Because saying yes to one thing doesn't mean saying yes to all thing

The failure to discuss affirmative consent only perpetuates the issue of rape

Because if I'm drugged to the point where I can't remember my own name, what makes you think I'm in the right frame of mind to make decisions?

As a society, we need to teach this in our schools so that students can learn early on what a healthy sexual encounter is

Because saying yes to one thing doesn't mean saying yes to all things.

Teaching youth that men can give and revoke consent and that they are not helpless to their sexual drives stops the hypermasculine sexual scripts

Because the stereotype that men always sex shouldn't overpower my body language and words.

If the children are the future - those that can help alleviate suffering in the world - consent based sexual education needs to be taught early on

Because there are still places in the world whee the lines of consent are blurry.

If schools educate "yes means yes" in the classroom it may help reduce the acts of sexual violence

Because saying yes and then changing my mind doesn't mean I'm a tease. It means I don't want it.

Students need to be taught that their persuasion is not endearing or intelligent. It is coercion.

Because my hesitation shouldn't be seen as a challenge. It should be seen as a sign that I'm not interested.

Understanding physiology in conjunction to affirmative consent will aid survivors in better understanding their experienced sexual violence rather than blaming themselves or undergoing large amounts of confusion.

Because an erection, an orgasm, or ejaculation does not equal consent.

It is so important that students understand these concepts early on so that we as a society can lessen the acts of sexual violence while simultaneously aiding survivors of sexual assault to better understand their experiences.

This can only be done if schools choose to teach consent based sexual education as part of their curriculum. A failure to do so will only lead to a larger failure in preventing acts of sexual assault.

Help us get the word out there!