Differences in Sexual Consent Communication between LGBT+ and Heterosexual Young Adults

Abstract

Sexual violence prevention work has long been criticized for taking a predominantly heteronormative perspective and failing to meaningfully include LGBT+ experiences. This is concerning since LGBT+ individuals are significantly more likely to experience sexual violence compared to their cisgender heterosexual peers. Despite increased scholarship on sexual consent, an integral concept of sexual violence programming, the LGBT+ perspective, and how they might differ from the heterosexual norm, remain understudied. To explore the potential relationship between sexual consent communication, sexual consent conceptualization, and sexual orientation, this study analyzed the responses of 489 Dutch young adults regarding their sexual consent communication, operationalized with Jozkowski´s External Consent Scale, during their last sexual encounter and their understanding of sexual consent. Sexual script theory, developed by Simon and Gagnon, is used to examine how the quantitative results are influenced by broader social norms. Results found few significant differences between the sexual consent communication of LGBT+ and heterosexual participants. More nuanced differences emerged when gender was included as an interacting factor. Notable is that while heterosexual women´s responses fit the traditional sexual script of women as passive, while queer women did not. LGBT+ participants were more likely to include more specific characteristics of sexual consent, such as the need for clarity, consent being communicated verbally, and elements of the FRIES definition, than heterosexual participants. Generally, participants understood sexual consent as the internal desire for sex as well as the agreement to sex. Further research is needed to explore what shapes sexual consent communication beyond gender and sexual orientation, as well as what factors influence sexual consent conceptualization.