Consent from
the person you are kissing — or more — is not merely silence or a lack of
protest, Shafia Zaloom, a health educator at the Urban School of San Francisco,
told the students. They listened raptly, but several did not disguise how
puzzled they felt.
“What does that
mean — you have to say ‘yes’ every 10 minutes?” asked Aidan Ryan, 16, who sat
near the front of the room.
“Pretty much,”
Ms. Zaloom answered. “It’s not a timing thing, but whoever initiates things to
another level has to ask.”
The “no means
no” mantra of a generation ago is being eclipsed by “yes means yes” as more
young people all over the country are told that they must have explicit
permission from the object of their desire before they engage in any touching,
kissing or other sexual activity. With Gov. Jerry Brown’s
signature on a bill
this month, California became the first state to require that all
high school health education classes give lessons on affirmative consent, which
includes explaining that someone who is drunk or asleep cannot grant consent.
No comments:
Post a Comment