Sexual Citizens

Sexual Citizens

Adult nonfiction
"Why do campus sexual assaults happen? And what should be done
to prevent them? Sexual Citizens offers parents, students, school
administrators, policy makers, and the public a new way to understand
sexual assault and an approach to prevention that extends far beyond
the campus gates..."
I think most of understand that sexual assaults happen on
college and university campuses. High profile cases have brought this
unfortunate reality into public discourse. According to Jennifer S.
Hirsch and Shamus Khan's Sexual Citizens, quoted above, one in three
women and nearly one in six men will experience sexual assault between
orientation and graduation or leaving without a degree.
That's a serious problem--one institutions of higher learning
are striving to solve. New student orientations cover the importance
of consent. An increasing number of campus professionals are mandated
reporters, required to bring certain narratives to the attention of
campus or local police. Conduct offices strive to balance the rights
of both parties in these sensitive cases. Students educate peers
through visible activities such as Take Back The Night and Tunnel of
Oppression.
Hirsch and Khan found that research that focuses on one aspect
of the problem (such as toxic masculinity) or ways in which to respond
to assaults after they occur to be limited in effectiveness. They
advocate for a methodology that goes beyond studying individuals and
their interactions to taking larger systems into account.
"...Instead of thinking in terms of predators or post-assault
procedures, SHIFT examined the social drivers of assault, in order to
develop new approaches to making assault a less common feature of
campus life. We deployed what public health scholars call an
'ecological model.' This approach situates individuals, along with
their problem behaviors, in the broader context of their
relationships, their pre-college histories, the organizations they are
a part of, and the cultures that influence them."
Hirsch and Khan explored students' experiences of sex, both
consensual and non-consensual, through the lens of three concepts.
*Sexual project is the idea that people engage in sex for a reason. A
project can be enjoyment, procreation, status, experience acquisition,
or identity exploration. Sexual projects are interconnected with
other life projects such as college projects.
*Sexual citizenship is a dual concept. One side involves feeling
comfort in one's body and entitlement to enact sexual projects. The
other involves acknowledging that other people are sexual citizens
rather than using them as props in one's own dramas.
*Sexual geographies acknowledges that certain locations have more
affordances for sexual outcomes than others. (Students will act
different at a fraternity house party than they would in the campus
library.) It also encompasses the idea that power differentials exist
in certain spaces. At a fraternity party a senior brother will have a
lot more power than a first year woman guest.
I really like this lens because it doesn't skim over the
complexities and intersectionalities of campus culture. It also shows
ways of working on all three aspects to create an ambiance less
conducive to sexual assault.
Hirsch and Khan believe that education needs to start well
before college. People are born as sexual beings. Many adults don't
want to see this. So kidd often see abstinance only curriculums in
preK to 12 schools and hear "not under my roof narratives at home.
Too many incoming college students aren't prepared with the sexual
knowledge and skills that are as necessary as reading and math.
So I'd recommend this excellent book to college undergraduate
and graduate students, faculty, and studebt affairs professionals;
preK-12 teachers and administrators; parents; and anyone else who
works with or cares about preK-12 and college students.
I'd like to end this review with a true story. A male student
heard a male peer lying about having had sex with a female peer and
told him to stop, explaining that it would effect how she saw herself
and was treated by other people. The second boy made a rather rude
remark. The first boy had a chat with a guidance counselor who talked
to the second boy. The lie did not spread.
Both boys were in middle school. They were already shaping the
beliefs they would bring to college.
On a purrrsonal note, I am laying off serious walking for awhile. My
feet are seriously hurting. I can think of three dumb things I did.
I way overdid it the day I walked 2 hours. I didn't stretch before or
after on any of the days. I was wearing sneakers with no shock
absorbing capacity. So no more distance walking until my symptoms
have cleared up, I've learned stretches, and I have sneakers designed
for serious walking. (Jules)
I never has that problem. I just walks and runs. (Tobago)
On a happier note, someone has been painting inspirational quotes on
rocks and leaving them around the trailer park. I have my favorites
in the studio now. One says Peace and has a peace sign. One says "Be
a VOICE not an echo." One says, "When life throws you a curve ball,
hit it out of the park." Now I am super inspired. (Jules)
A great big shout out goes out to the mystery rock painter.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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