Consent

Affirmative consent is a knowing, voluntary and mutual decision among all participants to engage in sexual activity. You can use the Got Consent: Be SU.R.E. campaign to make sure you have consent throughout your entire sexual activity.

SU: Shared Understanding

  • Voluntary and freely given (not coercive)
  • Mutual: all participants want “this” to happen
  • All participants have agreed to whatever “this” is

R: Respectful

  • Informed: Think about what kind of information would be important to share to be informed before engaging in sexual activities
  • Clear-minded: The person has the capacity to understand and make judgement

E: Enthusiastic

  • Not passive
  • Wanting to participate
  • Actively involved

Remember:

  • The initiator is always responsible for getting consent, and it is possible that the initiator might change throughout the sexual interaction.
  • Consent can be given by words or actions, as long as those words or actions create clear permission regarding willingness to engage in the sexual activity.
  • Silence or lack of resistance, in and of itself, does not demonstrate consent.
  • The definition of consent does not vary based upon a participant’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

What consent looks like:

The following Laci Green video talks about how you can be sure you have affirmative consent.