Have you ever heard the phrase “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission?” Violating consent isn’t limited to sexual relationships, and our discussions around consent shouldn’t be, either.
To resist rape culture, we need a consent culture—and one that is more than just reactionary. Left confined to intimate spaces, consent will atrophy as theory that is never put into practice. The multi-layered power disparities of today’s world require a response sensitive to a wide range of lived experiences.
Ask is an anthology of essays by writers, journalists, and activists to examine how a politic centered on consent can empower us outside the bedroom - whether it’s at the doctor’s office, interacting with law enforcement, or calling out financial abuse within radical communities. It is a testimony and guide on the role that negated consent plays in our lives, examining how we can take those first steps to reclaim it from institutionalized power.
Paperback, 224 pages
Thorntree Press; OR, United States
9781944934255
Kitty Stryker is a writer, activist and authority on developing a consent culture in alternative communities. She was the founder of ConsentCulture.com, a hub for LGBT, kinky and polyamorous folks looking for a sex-critical approach to relationships. Kitty also cofounded the artsy sexy party Kinky Salon London, as well as creating the award-winning Ladies High Tea and Pornography Society and the San Francisco–based kink party Whippersnappers. She lives in Oakland, California, with her wife, boyfriend, and two cats, Foucault and Nietzsche.
