15: Coercion - Level Two

Welcome back to Six Minute Sex Ed, the podcast that helps families talk about sex and relationships, hosted by sex education teacher Kim Cavill. For more info about Kim and how this podcast works, check out her website //www.teaandintimacy.com/ and sign up on Patreon to get access to every episode, as well as printables you can use to enhance your conversations at home. This episode is level two, which means it’s great for families with teenagers, and we’re going to talk about coercion. CONTENT WARNING: Sexual coercion and sexual pressure Coercion is when someone is refused, or told no, and rather than accepting the refusal, they try a variety of tactics to change that person’s no into a yes. Kim begins by giving three different examples of coercion, then talks about what a person should do when their romantic interest or sexual advances are rejected, then discusses what you should do if you’ve been coerced, or are being coerced. Reach out and talk to a friend about how you feel and if you feel alone, text HOME to 741741 (crisis text line) to speak to a counselor. If you don’t feel safe enough to tell anyone you know about being coerced, call RAINN at 1-800-656-4673 for anonymous help, or use their online chat service: //hotline.rainn.org/online/terms-of-service.jsp Kim then talks about assertive communication skills an works through an example to illustrate what being assertive sounds like. For more tips, read this excellent article: //www.scarleteen.com/article/politics/be_your_own_superhero_learning_how_and_when_to_stand_up_for_ourselves The bottom line: It is wrong to coerce people into doing things they don’t want to do. If it’s happening to you, its unjustifiable, it’s not your fault, and you deserve help and support. Conversation starters: Describe a situation where you were coerced: how did it make you feel? How did you handle it? If you could go back, would you do anything different? If someone tried to coerce you into something, who would you tell? What would you want them to do? If you like the podcast, support the podcast by singing up on Patreon for as little as $3/month and get access to bonus materials, or rate and review it on iTunes, or wherever you listen to your podcasts: //www.patreon.com/sexpositiveparent