Every year on September 4th, the world comes together to celebrate World Sexual Health Day. It’s a globally recognized event dedicated to raising awareness about sexual health and well-being. The World Association for Sexual Health (WASH), sets the theme, and this year its consent. The idea is to encourage open conversations about, and reinforce the importance of consent. It’s a timely reminder of its role in fostering healthy, respectful and enjoyable sex.
What is Consent?
Consent, at its core, is a mutual agreement between individuals to engage in a specific activity, fully informed and without any form of pressure or coercion. When it comes to sex, it means a voluntary and enthusiastic agreement to “”knock boots”. Moreover, you’re clear on what you’re’re agreeing to. Its ongoing, can be withdrawn at any point and must be established every time an activity is introduced.
How Consent Empowers Relationships
This may sound a bit simplistic; a transactional and binary way of understanding sex. But in fact it should just be the start of the conversation. Because while consent is the cornerstone of respectful encounters, allowing for the acknowledgement of personal boundaries, it can only take us so far. The best sex is when we are completely comfortable with our partners. When the lines of communication are always open, and there’s the kind of trust and safety that allows us to talk about what we want and don’t want. After all, communicating can be sexy. It allows for intimacy that is emotionally and physically satisfying, without discomfort or embarrassment.
Changing Misconceptions
Consent challenges common misconceptions about sex, reinforcing that silence does not equal consent and that coercion does not result in consent.
Information is Power!
World Sexual Health Day’s focus on consent highlights the importance of comprehensive and meaningful sex education. Information is power. So understanding consent hopefully leads to developing the ability to express our sexual desires in all kinds of situations.
We Support Empowerment and Consent
At Cliovana™ we believe in healthy and safe sex that empowers you to engage in meaningful and enjoyable sex! Let’s celebrate World Sexual Health Day this September 4, 2023 and the great work by WASH. Know your sexual boundaries. Respect others’ boundaries. And remember enthusiastic, ongoing consent is part a of satisfying sex life.
Happy Sexual Health Day!
Looking for more information? Visit worldsexualhealthday.org.
