The YES! Always campaign, put together by current University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) students, encourages people to take control of their sexual identity and strives to teach the importance of consent.
Continuing the conversation from its launch last semester, the YES! Always campaign will host an event Wednesday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center lawn at the University of Nevada, Reno.
As a part of the event, attendees will receive free spring break-themed YES! Always gear, and are encouraged to enjoy the party, where local DJ Kronyak will perform. Additionally, students can ask and answer sexual assault trivia questions. A life-sized cutout of Consentress, the campaign’s superhero mascot, with her face absent will be featured at the event; bringing to life the perception that anyone can truly be their own version of Consentress.
Spring break starts next week for UNR students and typically represents a time when many students go on vacation, consume more alcohol, and as a result, inhibitions are low. According to a 2006 report from the American Medical Association, more than half of college students know friends who were sexually active with more than one partner during spring break, and students consumed more alcohol on spring break trips compared to regular college social life.
As a result, the YES! Always campaign serves as a reminder that every single person deserves the right to have the conversation and to say yes or no to sexual behavior regardless of alcohol consumption, time, or place.
“This is a conversation for men and women,” said Cassandra Breazeale, account manager for the campaign. “Men have the right to consent just as much as women.”
For details on the YES! Always campaign, visit the Facebook page.
