During the bus ride to school, a man standing behind Aimee masturbates and ejaculates on her pants.

At first, Aimee mentions this to Meave and denies that the situation is worth paying attention to. She even makes excuses for the offender and tries to convince others that her assault was insignificant in relation to what others may experience. Maeve convinces Aimee to report the crime, and while filing the report, the police officer shares the painful reality that the chances of the offender being caught and tried is rare, and even then the questions of the prosecutors will be aimed at her, insinuating that there could've been something she had done to prompt frotteurism.

Throughout the season, she shows signs of post-traumatic stress and eventually reaches her breaking point in detention. This initiates a sad yet pivotal conversation between Maeve, Olivia, Aimee, Ola, Lily, and Viv as they recall shared experiences of "non-consensual dicks." Later, they all wait by the bus stop and help Aimee go on the bus again.

Situations like these show that sexual assault isn't just an occurrence with a creepy stranger hiding in a dark alley waiting to attack. Most of the time sexual assault appears in grey, day-to-day areas of our lives that appear through coercion, digital harassment, and other unwanted sexual advances. It doesn't make them any less worthy of empathy, attention, and justice.

"Sex Education" may be marketed as a teen comedy, but I encourage people of all ages to watch the show. Yes, there are laughable storylines filled with teen drama, but the heart of the show is the way it addresses the spectrum of sexual education in a fresh way that appeals to a contemporary audience.

Tatyannah King

Username: Dr_King

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