Reflections on the Consent is Sexy Campaign: Moving Forward, Looking Back

“To grieve, and to make grief itself into a resource for politics, is not to be resigned to inaction, but it may be understood as the slow process by which we develop a point of identification with suffering itself.  The disorientation of grief—“Who have I become?” or indeed, “What is left of me?”  “What is it in the Other that I have lost?”—posits the “I” in the mode of unknowingness.” (30)

 –Judith Butler, Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence

The Consent is Sexy campaign I co-organized for my Final Web Event has definitely been an emotionally, physically, and academically exhausting venture.  The above quote speaks greatly to my feelings about the campaign. The project was a political endeavor inspired by my experience of violence, trauma, and grief.  However, it was also an exploration and coming to terms with the new person that came out of the survival of that trauma. For me, the campaign was just as much a form of mourning as it was inspired by mourning.  The emotional nature of this form of politics was inspiring and empowering at the same time that it was frustrating and problematic.  These experiences have made me wonder if restorative justice can truly be achieved for survivors when their community is willing to look forward, but not back. 

I wanted to separate my thoughts from the consent is sexy campaign from the actual pictures and materials I gathered while working on the campaign.  Below is a photo montage of the postering and chalk we put up around campus.

Postering Thursday, December 1st.  Let's get organized!

Alliances are best vuilt over tea and donuts!

The only people we targeted... the Deans (Chase).

...well, I guess we targeted the Interim President too (Founders).

Let's get chalkin', so people get talkin'...

Learn about Nicole's MTF (male to female) journey.

For our final presentation, Jordan and I created a virtual scrapbook of the class. We highlighted the best parts of the past. What we found was that the best parts of the experience are not neccesarily the funnest part of the class. I feel the presentation went well, I was worried that our presentation would not go well and wouldn't go over well but not to fear. I liked seeing my classmate's faces as they say themselves in pictures and in quotes. All in all, the presentations went well with each flowing into the other. We ended on an indefinite note but that's okay because we will hopefully continue to see each other next semester and perhaps continue our classroom discussions outside of the classroom.