Sexual Assault

• Agreeing to sexual activity with someone (saying “yes”, or giving “consent”) means that you have freely decided to engage in that activity. If you are pressured emotionally or physically, if you go along because you don’t feel you have a choice or because you don’t know how to get out of the situation (“coercion”), you are not giving consent.
• Any sexual contact that you do not consent to is sexual assault. You have the right to say “no” if you do not want to do something sexual.
• Sexual assault does not always include intercourse. Sexual assault can include any contact with private body parts (e.g., breasts, genitals, buttocks) that you don’t want, don’t agree to, or are forced to do.
• Consent—
  • Consent means actively saying “yes” or agreeing. You don’t have to have a reason to say “no”. If someone tries to convince you to do something sexual, even if you have done it with that person before, but now you really don’t want to, you have the right to say “no”.
• Coercion—
  • If you’re feeling pressured to do something sexual and you don’t know how to get away from the situation, or if you’re afraid that saying “no” will break up your relationship, it may be a sign that you are being coerced or emotionally forced to do something that you don’t want to. [1]
  • [1] Teen Sexual Assault: Information for Teens
• Additional Resources:
  • Love is Respect
    • https://www.loveisrespect.org/
  • Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network
    • https://www.rainn.org/resources