Tips for Talking About Sexual Health and Consent Take a “3-beat pause” when asked questions that are hard to answer or that you’re not used to talking about. This means, take a few seconds to pause, take a deep breath or (or three), regroup from any initial panic you might […]
complete consent culture
When I first began working in the anti-trafficking movement, I had a decade of experience working as a rape crisis center responder. I was familiar with trauma-informed care, non-judgmental provision of services, and the ways in which victim-blaming, rape culture, and sex-negative messaging impact both survivors and our efforts to […]
I love community-based consent and sexuality education and prevention work, and have been engaged in it for years now, in queer, flow arts, and movement communities. Over that time, I’ve also been working in rape crisis centers on hotlines and facilitating support groups, with access to training and professional development […]
Sitting in front of the computer, I slowly and intentionally insert earbuds, click to start my favorite writing playlist, and open up Microsoft Word. I feel the tips of my fingers resting lightly on the keys, and notice the slight give of each printed square, glossy in the middle from […]
This post is part of a resource for flow arts and movement communities to address issues of consent and boundaries. You can access the full resource here. Gender, Sexual Violence, Power, and Control, Part Two: Gender, patriarchy, and sexual violence The movement to end sexual violence is inherently feminist. I say this […]
This post is part of a resource for flow arts and movement communities to address issues of consent and boundaries. You can access the full resource here. Gender, Sexual Violence, Power, and Control, Part One: Why we need to learn about broader trends in gender, sexual violence, power, and control Dance […]
This post is part of a resource for flow arts and movement communities to address issues of consent and boundaries. You can access the full resource here. Every movement community is different. This seems the most obvious place to start when considering how boundaries, violations, and safety factor into community […]
I was driving back from the mountains late at night, rain pelting the windshield. “Yeah, my friends are always asking me for sex advice. Sometimes I’m not sure what to say.” Like parent like kid, I think, noticing how they look like a new adult and their adorable toddler self […]
There’s this thing that happens to advocates when the world around us burns with injustice and fury and we shift into what we know, the holding-fighting, fierce-eyed, tender-hearted caring that pours out compassion and links lives with survivors, shedding trails of sweetness as it goes. It’s a professional skillset and […]
Recently, a friend made plans to come over to cowork a bit before a meeting. I had an hour to myself before my friend arrived, and I decided to take time for myself, time to soothe. I work full time in a field rife with vicarious trauma, and have spent […]
Over the summer, I started at a new job, which I’ve decided I can safely describe as a “dream job” – one to which I can bring my full self, and in which I can use all my gifts and strengths. Whereas my old job focused primarily on anti-sexual violence […]
Breathe. When the times and spaces where you normally find your breath are dripped and then drenched and then flooded with disclosures and no space is air space… open up space, small space, enough space, and breathe. Pace yourself. One foot in front of the other, each step only as […]