By Giselle Palomera
Monica Avila hosted a workshop Wednesday to help students build skills to effectively communicate personal feelings and establish consent to create a healthier relationship. The purpose of the workshop was to create a space where all partners can feel free of judgment and shame.
The workshop centered around personal experiences, while students and faculty spoke about situations they had been in revolving around the lack of consent.
Female attendees shared their experiences about their partners being forceful and expecting to get sex or other favors related to sex in exchange for payments, food or other gifts.
In contrast, some male students shared their experiences with female partners expecting too much from them. They expressed that they felt shy and awkward and that women should not always expect the male to make the first move.
Avila stressed how important it is to teach children about the proper names of their body parts and about sexual reproduction and sexual activity. Avila believes that teaching children the right way to treat their bodies will prevent them from being uninformed, or to be informed by unfactual means.
Avila spoke about communication before sex and how important it is to be straightforward and establish boundaries.
“When we really care about the person we are having sex with, we want them to enjoy it too,” said Avila.
Setting boundaries, having a safe word and establishing turn on’s and turn off’s are safe ways to be sexually involved with another partner or partners.