Information & Resources

Sexual violence means that someone forces or manipulates someone else into unwanted sexual activity without their consent. This can occur due to fear, age, illness, disability, or influence of alcohol or drugs. Victims can be anyone—children, teens, adults, and elders—and perpetrators can be acquaintances, family members, trusted individuals, or strangers

Each state sets an “age of consent,” the minimum age required to legally consent to sexual activity. People below this age are considered children and cannot legally agree to have sex. In other words, even if the child or teenager says “yes,” the law says “no.” In Texas, the age of consent is 17, but this can vary depending on the age difference between the participants. It’s up to you to make sure your partner is old enough to legally take part. Because this can be both a complicated question and answer, it is important to call us to find out more about the laws in our state.

Alcohol and drugs are not an excuse – or an alibi. States define who has the mental and legal capacity to consent. You have to be awake, lucid, and able to communicate in order to consent. Those with diminished capacity — including people who have been drugged or are unconscious — do not have the legal ability to agree to have sex. Ingesting such a quantity of any substance that it affects your decision making process is not advisable for a number of health related reasons. We encourage you to call us and find out more about the laws in our state.

While it is best to communicate your needs and boundaries whenever possible, sometimes it isn’t safe to resist, physically or verbally. It depends on the circumstances. If this is the case, we would ask that you consider the following questions: Did someone use physical force (of any kind) to make you have sexual contact with her/him? Did someone threaten you to make you have sexual contact with her/him? Were you afraid of the consequences of saying ‘No’? Were you scared for your life or safety? If fear was in the room, then there was no consent. It doesn’t matter if your partner thinks you meant yes, or if you’ve already started having sex – you have the right to change your mind about participating in sexual activity at any time. No one has the right to control your body but you.