What are better stories we could be telling about sex and relationships? Two years after The Age of Consent series, we reflect on previous episodes with Dr Laura Lammasniemi and how consent has come to be central to how we think about and legislate sex. We also speak to Jonny Hunt, author of 'Sex Ed for Grown-ups', about different ways we could talk about what happy, healthy, and ethical sex looks like, and chat to Dr Tina Sikka about an alternative approach to sexual justice that better captures the complex realities of sex. 

Dr Laura Lammasniemi @LLammasniemi

Jonny Hunt @littlerubberhat

Dr Tina Sikka @tsikka

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Are we imagining a world without rape, or are we imagining a world where every rapist is locked up? Dr Chloe Kennedy discusses her research on how we could tangibly refine our laws around consent to enable clearer boundaries around what constitutes ethical sex. In our final interview, Dr Tanya Serisier, questions whether the concept of consent actually enables sexual autonomy, or whether it in fact might hinder it

The way we legislate and think about consensual sex is flawed. How can we improve it? Dr Mithu Sanyal, discusses the importance of understanding where our biased views of consent come from, in order to be able to assess whether they actually chime with our beliefs. Jane Gilmore, journalist and activist describes her campaign to “fix” the way journalists report on rape, and stop perpetuating rape myths. Finally Dr Victoria Brooks poses the question: how can we create a new framework to think about the ethics of sex?

There is a divide between legal theory and legal practice. What impact does this have on access to justice in the context of rape? Dr. Laura Lammasniemi will discuss how historical records show consistent discrepancies between the intent of the written law, and how law was applied in practice. Dr. Emon Keanne will talk us through how modern day court processes unfold during rape trials, and discuss the issues faced when making legal decision based on consent. Finally, Dr Julia Simon-Kerr will explain how the way we decide whether someone is credible or not, does not always serve us well in a legal context.

Consent is not just a legal matter - it’s also a cultural one. What are our social frameworks for thinking about consent? Andrea Simon from the Violence Against Women Coalition UK, tells us about finding from their “public attitudes to sexual consent” survey (2018). Amrita Dash from Edinburgh Rape Crisis tells us about how these public perceptions impact on rape survivors' ability to seek support and justice. Finally, Dr Hannah Bows gives us examples of how these perceptions have a huge impact on who we believe can be raped.

Consent is the cornerstone of our current laws on rape and sexual offences - but that wasn’t always the case. 

In this episode, Dr Laura Lammasniemi tells us how consent was discussed in court in the Victorian era, and Dr Gwen Seabourne explains how we thought of rape back in medieval times. Finally Dr Vanessa Munro brings us back to the 21st century and explains what our current laws say about consent.