It's no shock that as college students we are statistically vulnerable to acts of sexual violence, this bill could change that.
Because of this, we are warned not to walk across campus alone, to always be aware of our surroundings, and when it comes to sex we’re all taught that no means no. It’s like a broken record and yet it’s still not working. Acts of sexual violence happen every day on college campuses across the nation. Maybe we should stop the broken record from spinning by trying a different approach to combating the shocking statistics that plague college campuses across the nation. The first step we need to take in order to prevent sexual violence on college campuses should be prevention education that highlights the concept of mutual sexual consent.
Even a simple topic such as sexual consent and its definition has been debated in recent years, especially in the college atmosphere. Up until now, there has been no clear definition of consent. Blurry boundaries such as the individual being asleep, unresponsive, incoherent, or not protesting against the act being committed, all have gotten in the way of fully addressing certain aspects of consensual sex. Luckily, California Governor Jerry Brown recognizes that sexual consent has had a cloudy history; he has just signed a bill that defines the way we think about sexual consent as a whole. The law seeks to push the standardized ‘no means no’ concept out the window and instead implement a ‘yes means yes’ concept. Jerry Brown hopes that this bill will help revolutionize the way we think about consent and encourage others to step up to the plate when it comes to defining this very important topic.
The bill’s basis is pretty simple; we shouldn’t have to wait for someone to say no in order to stop engaging in activities that make that person uncomfortable, because at that point we’ve already crossed the line. We shouldn’t have to get a verbal ‘no’ from a person who is sleeping; a person who has drank too much or a person that is under the influence of drugs. At that point, no loses all of its immediate power. Instead of no, we should be seeking out a yes. The ‘yes means yes’ bill requires “an affirmative, unambiguous and conscious decision” by both partners and helps eliminate the blurry lines surrounding consensual sex.
The bill was heavily pushed by Senator Kevin de Leon out of Los Angeles who says, "With this measure, we will lead the nation in bringing standards and protocols across the board so we can create an environment that's healthy, that's conducive for all students, not just for women, but for young men as well too, so young men can develop healthy patterns and boundaries as they age with the opposite sex."
The ‘yes means yes’ bill will also create victim-centered sexual response policies that will assist individuals that are involved in sexual assault cases and set up all-inclusive programs that address many of the questions and concerns that college students have. As Leon mentioned, the bill not only helps create a safer environment for statistically-targeted college women, but also creates an industry standard across the board. ‘Yes means yes’ will help all college students recognize the boundaries of their partner long before they are crossed and help to create a healthier partnership as a whole.
With the internet by our side and virtually unlimited methods of communication, we are the generation that has the power to end sexual violence on college campuses. The ‘yes means yes’ bill is only a foot in the door of a very large problem that we have direct power to influence. We have the potential to change the lives of future college students by creating a safer atmosphere that promotes learning, leadership, and above all, respect. The ‘yes means yes’ bill has set a new standard for colleges across the nation, so who will be the first to step up?
