(photo shows a few books from the sex-positive book collection available online and in the Templeman Library on the Canterbury campus)
This Valentine’s Day make sure you get consent!
Valentine’s day can be about expressing love, valuing your friends and relationships, enjoying sex and new experiences. But when thinking about sexual activity, let’s remember to also think about consent and promoting a culture of consent in our community. Good sex is consensual sex.
Consent should be an ongoing and enthusiastic yes! No if, buts, or maybes. This includes you! You have the right to choose, and nobody should ever try to convince you otherwise. “But it’s Valentine’s Day” is not a reason to ignore consent. Consent is a continuous effort to have a positive, healthy intimate experience. Just because you brought someone dinner, you’ve had sex with them before or they are wearing something which shows off their body does not mean they owe you anything!
This Valentine’s Day, let’s start meaningful conversations about consent so we can work together to build a safer community. Don’t forget to check out our sex positive campaign “Consent. Get It. Full Stop”, to aid in cultivating and strengthening a culture of consent. Stay up-to-date as Kent walks the walk on this issue by following #ConsentGetIt on social media, and check out other articles on Consent.
If you would like to learn more about consent or sex education, check out our sex-positive book collection online and in the Templeman Library on the Canterbury campus. For advice and information on accessing additional support or reporting an incident, please see the Sexual Assault and Harassment pages.
Written by Kamila and Natalia, Student Services, 10.02.23
If you’d like to comment on or contribute to a podcast or article for Student Services, email us at StudentServicesWeb@kent.ac.uk.