The days leading up to Valentine’s Day are full of love, but they’re also a time to review sexual safety.
STRIVE, a GatorWell organization, aims to raise awareness about sexual violence throughout the week around campus with the second annual Cupid’s Consent Week.
“(Cupid’s Consent is) a positive sort of look at healthy relationships, a real celebration of healthy relationships, the idea of consent, listening to the limits and boundaries people put up,” said Rita Lawrence, Interpersonal Violence Prevention coordinator.
Consent Week is meant to promote equality and respect for all genders, she said.
“(The mission is) to communicate a positive message about healthy communication and respect for sexual boundaries … and truly asking and listening for consent,“ Lawrence said.
Annie Carper, victim advocate in the Office of Victim Services, said she believes the issue of consensual versus nonconsensual sex is an important conversation to have.
Consent Week started Friday at GatorNights with a celebrity kissing booth. The organization’s first Dirty Talk 101 session will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Ustler Hall Atrium. It’s intended to help up to 80 students enhance their love lives, and Lawrence said she thinks it will be the most effective event.
“The workshop teaches you how to communicate your desires to your partner(s), whether it’s the first, the hundredth, or the only time you will engage in intimate activity with them,” she wrote in an email.
STRIVE and Peer Educators are ending Consent Week by tabling on the Plaza of the Americas on Thursday at 11 a.m., Lawrence said. Members are hoping to double last year’s attendance, about 100 students.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 2/10/2015 under the headline “Second annual Cupid’s Consent Week"]
