''Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape'' is a feminist non-fiction book edited by Jaclyn Friedman and

Jessica Valenti Jessica Valenti (; born November 1, 1978) is an American feminist writer. She was the co-founder of the blog Feministing, which she wrote for from 2004 to 2011. Valenti is the author of five books: ''Full Frontal Feminism'' (2007), ''He's a Stud, ...

, published in 2008. The book was one of ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' 99 Best Books of 2009 and inspired a sexual education non-credit course at Colgate University. The title refers to the popular, "Yes Means Yes" affirmative consent campaign against

date rape Date rape is a form of acquaintance rape and dating violence. The two phrases are often used interchangeably, but date rape specifically refers to a rape in which there has been some sort of romantic or potentially sexual relationship between ...

, which calls for sexual participants to obtain a declaration of consent, "yes", to each sexual act or escalation. Contributors to the anthology include:

Rachel Kramer Bussel Rachel Kramer Bussel (born 1975) is an author, columnist, and editor, specializing in erotica. She previously studied at the New York University School of Law and earned her bachelor's degree in political science and women's studies from the U ...

Hanne Blank Hanne Blank, also known as Hanne Blank Boyd, is an American historian, writer, and editor. Her written works include ''Virgin: The Untouched History'', ''Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality'', and ''The Unapologetic Fat G ...

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...

Heather Corinna Heather Corinna (born April 18, 1970) is an author, activist, and Internet publisher with a focus on progressive, affirming sexuality. Corinna is a self-described "queer, rabblerousing, polymath." Corinna is non-binary and has advocated for acce ...

Stacey May Fowles Stacey May Fowles (born 1979) is a Canadian writer. Fowles first novel, ''Be Good'', was published by Tightrope Books in 2007. In fall 2008 she released an illustrated novel, ''Fear of Fighting'', and staged a theatrical adaptation of it with Nig ...

Coco Fusco Coco Fusco (born Juliana Emilia Fusco Miyares; June 18, 1960) is a Cuban-American interdisciplinary artist, writer, and curator whose work has been exhibited and published internationally. Fusco's work explores gender, identity, race, and power th ...

Lisa Jervis Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), ...

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (born April 21, 1975, in Worcester, Massachusetts) is a U.S. /Canadian poet, writer, educator and social activist. Their writing and performance art focuses on documenting the stories of queer and trans people of ...

, and

Julia Serano Julia Michelle Serano (; born 1967) is an American writer, musician, spoken-word performer, trans– bi activist, and biologist. She is known for her transfeminist books ''Whipping Girl'' (2007), ''Excluded'' (2013), and ''Outspoken'' (2016). Sh ...

. The book consists of a series of essays by various authors, which share the central theme of preventing

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

by addressing the sociocultural milieu that the authors argue is complicit in enabling sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape. Sexual consent, body image, self-esteem, and sexual violence are discussed throughout the essays.

Yes Means Yes law

In 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the "Yes Means Yes" bill, which requires colleges in California to have clear sexual assault policies that shift the burden of proof from the victims to the accused. The "Yes Means Yes" movement stems out of the " No Means No" movement that was created in the 1990s by the

Canadian Federation of Students The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is the largest student organization in Canada, representing over 530,000 students from across Canada. Formed in 1981, the stated goal of the Federation is to represent the collective voice of Canadian st ...

in order to combat

sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

. The original movement focused on the idea that when two people are engaging in

sexual intimacy Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...

, if the word "no" is not present then their sexual acts are

consensual Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions as used in such fields as the law, medicine, research, and sexual relationships. Consent as und ...

. This belief led to ambiguity in court cases that pertained to sexual assault allegations. With the "Yes Means Yes" law in place, affirmative consent is now defined as, "an affirmative, unambiguous, and conscious decision by each participant to engage in mutually agreed-upon sexual activity." This law is to be enforced on college campuses throughout California, and clearly outlines that consent is received through a verbal or physical "yes".

Levy's critique

Andrea Levy argues that the book does not challenge readers to take action against the complex issues that arise when facing "the oppressive mainstream of North American progressive political culture." Levy continues by explaining that works like Friedman and Valenti's are accompanied by a "liberal-democratic" understanding of how the world works, but it hinders the ability to be able to see how things happen socially. Further, Levy states that the struggles against colonization and

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

are seen as peripheral, which could lead to discrimination against marginalized communities.

References

{{Jessica Valenti 2008 non-fiction books 2008 anthologies American anthologies Books about rape Books by Jessica Valenti Essay anthologies Feminist books Perseus Books Group books Sex-positive feminism

Yes Means Yes law

Levy's critique

Other topics

References