The Centre for Human Rights at York has created a new campaign addressing the issue of sexual violence.
The campaign, titled “You Had Me At Consent,” begins on September 3 and seeks to promote a sexual-assault-free environment at York through a panel of guest speakers and workshops.
Noa Ashkenazi, an advisor at the Centre for Human Rights, says that the motivation for developing the campaign was to create a culture on campus that emphasizes consent, care, and solidarity.
“You Had Me At Consent” will be similar to the event called “Can I Kiss You?” which was held at York in previous years. In past years, the event often included a guest speaker who came to York to talk about sexual assault prevention, but the new campaign being launched by CHR specifically targets issues surrounding York.
“York didn’t own the ‘Can I Kiss You?’ campaign, so it was held only once a year,” says Ashkenazi. “‘You Had Me At Consent’ will be York’s property, so it’s a campaign that we can continue all year around.”
The campaign will open with a presentation by keynote speaker Don McPherson, a former NFL and CFL quarterback and social justice educator.
McPherson says that his main goal is to create a dialogue around how to foster healthy relationships. He hopes to focus on breaking down the mainstream message that “men are in charge, and women are subservient.”
“Part of my lecture will be around the phrase ‘You throw like a girl,’ which implies that women are less than men,” says McPherson. He adds that he wants to get to the heart of a language that is both derogatory towards women, and falsely defines what a “real” man is.
“‘You Had Me At Consent’ will be York’s property, so it’s a campaign that we can continue all year around.”
Elana Shugar, the community initiatives coordinator at Sexual Assault Survivors’ Support Line & Leadership, says she appreciates the CHR’s efforts in coordinating the program.
“It is important that the issue of sexual violence is addressed in various ways and reaches a broad audience,” says Shugar. She also says the campaign is a good way to begin the conversation about sexual violence on campus.
After the keynote address on September 3, the CHR plans to organize smaller workshops throughout the year focusing on the importance of consent and the prevention of sexual violence.
Rameeza Ahmed
Assistant News Editor
