Carleton Equity Service’s fifth annual sexual assault awareness week, for the first time in three years, included a “consent coffeehouse” at Rooster’s.
The event organizer, Beau Welter, introduced the evening as something to focus on sex positivity to lighten other necessary but heavy discussions.
The late-night event happened Feb. 26 with a list of dynamic musicians and spoken word artists who performed. The small audience of about 20 listened intently, many with smiles on their faces, for the 45 minutes of poetry and music.
The first performer, Erin Adair, sang and played the guitar for some songs about rape culture, drugs, love, and one song about her cat.
The second song titled “Cocks of the World,” a parody of “Cops of the World,” was a witty criticism of how the justice system disadvantages sexual assault survivors inspired by the controversy at the University of Ottawa last year. The song had the audience nodding along and giggling in a few places with lyrics such as, “we only care about protecting our privacy when we are the son of the chief of police,” and “it doesn’t exist ’til it’s proven in court.”
Adair’s second song addressed rape culture in the same manner. Written as a response to people who question survivors’ decisions to file a police report after sexual assault, Adair sang, “I’ve got midterms to write and a CD to release, I didn’t report ‘cause fuck you.”
Adair said it’s important for people on university campuses to get educated about consent.
“I think the most important thing for me in playing my music is the ability to tell a story,” she said. “My work deals with a lot of difficult issues such as gender violence and sexual assault, and I use my own stories to connect with audiences.”
Another artist, Chelsi Robichaud, performed a spoken-word that related the experience of a sexual assault survivor to greek mythology.
Before and after the performances, attendees were welcome to view what was advertised as “an artgasmic exhibition of photography and art” featuring a broad range of sex-positive images which incorporated lesbian relationships and a pregnant woman.
Sexual Assault Support Services borrowed its “sex positivity” framework from the AIDS committee of Ottawa.
“We are sex positive when we say yes to the sex we do want, and no to the sex we don’t want, accept other’s choices, and pay attention to everyone’s ability to choose,” Welter read. “We respect the right of everyone . . . to make sexual choices that fit with their own personal values, wants, and needs.”
Welter said she wanted the event to give students a chance to get creative and showcase their feelings.
“A lot of the other events we threw were people speaking, a lot of kind of academic panels,” Welter said. “I’d like to make it a regular thing.”
“It’s really nice to have arts incorporated with social justice issues,” Kate Forman said, a student who attended the event. “That’s always something I’ve been interested in.”
The event offered free coffee, tea and cookies, and a giveaway halfway through for a pair of headphones and wireless speakers.
