Law

Consent is just another word for permission. When we talk about giving consent for sexual activity, we’re not only talking about a verbal “yes” or “no.” We have to look at body language as well. This means using your eyes as well as your ears to find out what the other person is feeling. What if somebody says “yes” to you, but looks nervous, and isn’t making eye contact with you? What if you’re making out with somebody, and it’s getting hot n’ heavy, but they break it off and say no? What if your partner says “maybe”?

There are examples of mixed messages, which can be confusing and hard to understand. Whenever you’re confused or unsure of exactly what the other person is saying, it’s important to know that you should back off, because your partner probably needs time and space to think it through.

However, even if you have verbal and physical consent, there are three situations where it is illegal give or take consent. They are:

• Any sexual activity between an adult and a person under the age of 16, except when:
• One person is 12 or 13 years old and the other is less than 2 years older, or
• One person is 14 or 15 years old and the other is less than 5 years older.
• If you’re under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol
• If you are under 18, and your partner is in a position of trust or authority over you (it could be your teacher, principal, coach, boss, family member etc.)

*The legal Age of Consent was raised from 14 years old to 16 years old on May 1, 2008.

Why are these laws in place? Basically, they were created to protect people from being taken advantage of. For example, it doesn’t mean that all 16 year-olds are ready to have sex. Even though there are some very clear rules about the situations where you can and can’t have sex, these rules don’t cover all the situations.

Back to Top