ABSTRACT
Consent serves as the foundation for sexual assault prevention education and has been identified as the core indicator of whether or not a sexual assault has occurred. However, consent has not been conceptualized in a way that accounts for the influence of multiple factors, including gender norms, social and cultural identities, and sex communication. This chapter will discuss how norms around gender have negatively influenced sexual scripts and contributed to the continued perpetration of sexual assault. This paper will also explore how racial, cultural, sexual, and gender identities influence communication about sex and the interpretation of consensual behavior. We will also discuss the importance of understanding the nuances of communication, particularly in sexual situations, and how those norms do not promote healthy intimacy. Lastly, we will show how cultural norms around discussing sex and consent have left emerging adults unable to identify consensual behavior and/or express their own sexual boundaries. This chapter seeks to broaden the discussion of consent by discussing under-researched factors that, if addressed, could improve sexual assault prevention education.
