Sex questions from senior high school students 2.0: ‘What is pansexual?’
Here are three more common questions we’ve received from high school students this year whilst running our Learning Consent workshops:
1. What is pansexual?
A pansexual is a person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction for members of all gender identities/expressions. Pansexuality is experienced as attraction towards someone, regardless of their sex or gender identity.
Pansexual and other sexual orientations are labels to help individuals identify who they attracted to. You can choose to identify your sexual orientation or not to identify your sexuality. If you’re curious about your sexuality, explore it in a safe way.
Here are two great articles describing the difference between pansexuality and bisexuality:
· https://www.minus18.org.au/articles/what's-the-difference-between-bisexual-and-pansexual
2. What should I do if I get accused of sexual assault?
If you’re accused of sexual assault, reflect on the situation. Was clear consent given? Was there any coercion involved? Were you under the influence of drugs or alcohol? If you know for a fact that clear, enthusiastic, free, informed consent was given, then you have nothing to worry about. But if you cannot answer yes to all the questions, reflect on what has happened. Talk to a trusted adult about what has happened and how to move forward. This could be a teacher, counsellor, parent, etc.
For free and confidential legal advice, check out: https://yla.org.au/get-help/
For free and confidential counselling visit: https://headspace.org.au/online-and-phone-support/connect-with-us/
3. What earliest symptoms would you expect for someone who would be too intoxicated to be able to give sexual consent?
Drinking alcohol can reduce a person’s inhibitions and therefore mean they may not be able to freely give informed consent. Symptoms a person may be too intoxicated to give consent are:
- Slurred speech
- Loss of balance
- Rapid change of moods
- Repetitive conversations (repeating themselves)
- Sleepiness
- Delayed reaction time
It is important to recognise the signs and symptoms that an individual may be intoxicated and respond appropriately. The Alcohol and Drugs Foundation put it very simply:
“If you’re worried that someone is too intoxicated to consent, they probably are. It’s always better to err on the side of caution than risk violating another person.”
Read more here: https://adf.org.au/insights/alcohol-and-consent/
