By AJ Trager
MICHIGAN – The Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH) will celebrate the launch of Michigan Youth (MY) Consent Day, an awareness campaign seeking to promote positive sexual health practices among Michigan youth.
My Consent Day will be held for the first time on Sept. 23 and is geared towards empowering youth, especially those attending college, to know their rights, to know how to protect their bodies and to engage in healthy relationships. The event will continue on in future years every fourth Thursday in September.
MOASH has created an awareness campaign to get youth involved in combating sexual assault and features fact sheets, an intervention database, a link to Michigan consent laws as well as event resources and a My Consent Day photo campaign.
Under Michigan State Law, consent is defined as the willful participation in any type of sexual activity without force or coercion.
"Although the law seems clear," says MOASH Executive Director, Shelly Hoffman, "Many youth (as well as adults) misunderstand what constitutes 'willful' consent and, more importantly, what constitutes non consent. MY Consent Day will not only raise awareness of this important topic, it will serve as an important education tool, and MOASH is excited to bring this first-of-its-kind event to Michigan."
According to national statistics, at least 4 percent of men, 25 percent of women and 40 percent of LGBT students will experience a sexual assault during their time as a university student. The 2012 FBI Crime Report showed Michigan as having the third largest reported instances per 100 thousand people. However, even with that statistic, coming forward about a sexual abuse is never easy and many who face this challenge have multiple fears to overcome before sharing their experiences.
"Given the recent data released about the prevalence of sexual assaults on college campuses, it is important MOASH not only give voice to this issue, but to present useful information to aid in the reduction of these numbers," Hoffman said. "The MY Consent Day website offers several resources and useful information to combat sexual violence on campuses and elsewhere."
Sexual assault and intimate partner violence affects all persons, regardless of gender or sexual orientation and isn't something that can be attributed to a "healthy relationship" or an "unhealthy relationship." Abuse can come from anyone, especially from those that are trusted. For many survivors, telling someone, utilizing services or reporting the incident(s) is the hardest part.
Some common fears, documented by Dartmouth University's Sexual Abuse Awareness group, include: having to disclose sexual orientation or gender identity to the medical professional, being outed without consent when seeking services, seeking services from professionals who may be insensitive or homophobic, being perceived as the perpetrator, being perceived as weak, not having the assault/abuse labeled a certain way, being blamed for the assault and being ostracized by the LGBT community for reporting the perpetrator if he or she is also a member of the LGBT community.
Individuals who seek help for their experience with sexual violence are not required to disclose sexual orientation to anyone (even in the emergency room). As Michigan's Elliot-Larsen Act has yet to be amended to include gender and sexual orientation among the list of protected classifications of discrimination, the LGBT community has a right to receive care for any injury but lacks certain protections in the medical setting.
