Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

I haven't seen Sex Signals but wanted to chime in to say that anytime the 
idea is promoted that bad "signals" lead to rape, I worry that the listener 
is going to hear that? some degree of blame belongs with the one who failed 
to use effective signals - which is a way of rewarding entitlement -

the message should always be that the harmdoer bears the risk and the burden 
at all times -

in other words - if the signals aren't clear - don't act - because it's wrong 
- AND it's a felony

this is a gender-neutral - easy to understand - easy to apply? - rule of 
behavior

surely many students will act anyway - and we can't really stop them - but we 
can make it clear who bears the risk - and if we teach the concept of 
autonomy, it helps explain why the risk lies with the harmdoer - 

unfortunately - we tend to teach from the perspective of entitlement - with 
the presumption being that sex can, should and will happen unless the victim 
prevents it - 

it's true that women can do better risk reduction - and teaching risk 
reduction is not wrong - 

but we need to be clear that even if women are bad at risk reduction - it has 
no bearing on the responsibility of the harm-doer - - to the contrary - we 
will see the harmdoer as having exploited a vulnerability - rather than 
acting responsiblly in the face of a victim's liability - 

this theme - that lack of clear signals creates vulnerability not liability 
for the victim - may well be the focus of sex signals - i don't know - and 
i'm not sure it's a bad idea to teach about signals - so long as the message 
is clear that the consequences will not include imposing any moral or legal 
responsibility on the victim - 

wendy murphy