Cosmopolitan
6.16.15 | Lane Moore
According to a new poll from the Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation, college students are still pretty confused as to how sexual consent actually works.
The poll, which surveyed 1,053 current and recent college students, aged 17 to 26, found that 83 percent of men and women are aware of the concept of "yes means yes" and what its purpose is — for the record, it means that only an enthusiastic "yes" from your partner means they consent, and the purpose is to prevent any sexual consent grey area — but only 69 percent of them felt it was a realistic practice, with 30 percent saying it wasn't realistic at all. But whether or not its realistic doesn't change the fact that it's still extremely necessary.
According to the poll, at least 40 percent of the students thought that things like someone getting undressed, or getting a condom, or nodding in agreement indicated consent. Seriously? A nod? Or taking off clothes? I know 40 percent isn't the majority but it's a disturbingly high number of people who think that if a woman takes her shirt off she's consenting to pretty much anything.
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