INFOBUS: Keeping it safe in summer

[bethechange]

Hi Kimbo, and welcome to tonights Infobus session!

If only we all had the luxury of studying Sexology at university, what was your major? I think you’re right, there’s a lot of information out there, it might just not be the first thing we think of when we’re thinking about sex/consent/alcohol (and the comination of) etc.

That’s true that the way relationships are depicted in tv shows are rarely like reality, experience is paramount!

[Leethal]

Deepbreath - wow! That's hilarious as a story but NOT a good thing to actually happen. I suppose cultural barriers could be difficult to overcome with a topic like that. 

Also, I count myself lucky that I didn't have education like that censored by a religious school (public school for me!) - it's definitely a problem that needs fixing. People are only very slowly starting to realise that not teaching kids about it will, if anything, make them MORE likely to try and then end up in trouble. You have to aknowledge that at least some of those kids are going to and teach them how to do it safely as opposed to just pretending they won't. It's the same case with a lot of similar topics, actually.

I also did find books I was given useful in learning things - Kaz Cooke's 'girl stuff' covered everything in a pretty cool way I suppose - which makes people more likely to take in (Certainly better than my school, that's for sure)

[deepbreath]

What are some ways that alcohol and other drugs might affect your ability to give consent? On the flipside- how might drugs/alcohol impact the ways you know you have got consent from the other person?

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUj2OHLAG3w

This is a great little vid called Who Are You?

It's a really interesting perspective on how alcohol effects our experiences, and how we all need to look after each other

[Magga]

Lichee - haha this is true, boys find Dolly Doctor hilarious.

[deepbreath]

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Leethal:Kaz Cooke's 'girl stuff' covered everything in a pretty cool way I suppose - which makes people more likely to take in (Certainly better than my school, that's for sure)

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Kaz Cooke is great!

[Kimbo]

Haha I find it interesting where they slot the sex ed in... Seems a mix between science and health classes could do the trick. Did they segregate your classes based on gender? I remember to this day in Year 7, the girls got to go to one class and learn about pregnancy and childbirth, while we just abused the anonymous question box getting our teacher to read out profanity-laden questions...

[mischiefmanaged]

@Magga; They are surprisingly accurate! And they don't censor stuff (the best bits are in the sealed sections!). The sealed sections and Dolly Doctor were my favourite parts. They did have a lot about relationships and stuff like that but there were some REALLY interesting questions and questions that just made you go.. WTF? EWWWW!

[Magga]

What are some ways that alcohol and other drugs might affect your ability to give consent? On the flipside- how might drugs/alcohol impact the ways you know you have got consent from the other person?

Alcohol kind of messes up both sides of the coin - after a few drinks, you become less likely to say no to a bad situation. But this applies to the other person too - even if they seem interested, it's important to be careful and keep in mind that it may just be the alcohol talking. Consent while drunk is not the same thing!

[bethechange]

What are some ways that alcohol and other drugs might affect your ability to give consent? On the flipside- how might drugs/alcohol impact the ways you know you have got consent from the other person?

If we're drinking or under the influence of drugs we're not thinking how we would if we were sober. We might think that something that seems like a good idea at the time, actually wasn't something we would have done if we were sober. It also might make us think the other person is more willing than what they actually are, which is bad news for everyone. It can be good to mentally plan out what you expect from a night, could something sexual happen? Is it something I want to do with this person?

This factsheet is really informative on how to drink responsibly: http://au.reachout.com/Tips-for-drinking-responsibly

[Kimbo]

Hi Magga.
Not really all that accurate. I have flicked my way through a few Dollys in waiting rooms, and I have to chuckle at some of the stuff girls 'write in' about. Mens magazines to me are a little more direct - I think it's Zoo where they have some 'bartender' type Q&A, where lots of guys write in for relationship advice. The bartender is usually quite tactful and doesn't beat around the bush. I think those sorts of relationship issues are better than the questionable issues girls write in with in Dolly. I should think that young girls these days would hit up the internet first.

All that said, there's still a huge emphasis on 'What she really wants in a man' vs '10 tricks to make your man go wild' in men's and women's magazines. There's a lot of social influence in them, to my mind.