Sexual Consent Is More Than a Simple Yes or No

Rates of sexual assault are unfortunately high. Teaching sexual consent skills is often viewed as an essential component of reducing sexual assault as well as ensuring more healthy and pleasurable sexual experiences. Often, messages about sexual consent have been reduced to simple catchphrases (e.g., “no means no”), which fail to consider the nuances and contextual factors of sexual consent. This chapter recommends incorporating consent education into broader comprehensive sex education programming. We begin by summarizing a recent research paper from the American Journal of Sexuality Education that suggests promoting general sexual knowledge might also promote better consent attitudes and communication. Next, we provide three suggestions for how sex educators can promote positive sexual consent attitudes and behaviors within comprehensive sex education. Specifically, we suggest that educators (1) move beyond a sexual assault prevention (SAP) framework, (2) promote intrapersonal reflection on sexual interests and values, and (3) frame consent as only one piece of sexual communication.