Understanding Sexual Consent: Examining Affirmative Sexual Consent and Affirmative Sexual Consent Policies in the College Context

This paper examines the definition of “Affirmative Sexual Consent” and its current use in preventing instances of sexual assault on college campuses. I conclude that Affirmative Sexual Consent does not work to prevent sexual assaults and may, in fact, be largely unnecessary. This paper demonstrates that students are successful readers of non-verbal consent cues and that the tenets of consent as put forth in Affirmative Sexual Consent policies are often in direct conflict with students’ normative behavior. I end with an examination of the social, cultural, and institutional changes that must be made if we are to actually reduce rates of sexual assault on our college campuses. Two videos were created as part of this project: What is Sexual Consent? Putting Affirmative Sexual Consent into Action