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Pornography
Learn about pornography and its potential impact. Pornography often depicts unrealistic and non-consensual sexual acts. Real-life sex should be based on consent and mutual respect. Pornography can create unrealistic expectations.
Listen to what your body is telling you
Some not okay body clues are:
Some happy body clues are:
Your body is your body!
Sexual consent is an agreement between people to share a sexual act.
Consent must be given freely and happily, with shared understanding of what is going to happen.
It is consent when people know they want to do the sexual activities and they make sure their partner does too.
The Consent Continuum is a great resource to help people understand what is and is not consent.
The Consent Continuum is a great resource to help people understand what is and is not consent.
Behaviour that is not OK at work
Offensive behaviour or harassment
This includes anything that offends, humiliates, or insults people on the basis of an attribute. This could be nasty behaviour or annoying people; anything that upsets or embarrasses people; or being rude about a person because of something about them, like their race, religion, weight, gender, or disability.
Sexual harassment
This includes behaviour of a sexual nature which subjects someone to unwanted physical acts, advances or requests, comments, gestures, or actions. Behaviour that is sexual and is not wanted by other people, including touching, asking people to do sexual things, making comments, noises or movements that are sexual.
Victimisation
A person must not harass another person because they have, or intend to, make a complaint. If someone makes a complaint, or is going to make a complaint, it is not ok to bully them.
Inciting hatred
This is a public act which provokes hatred towards, serious contempt for, or severe ridicule of, a person or a group of people on the basis of an attribute. This also includes getting other people to bully someone because of something about them, like their race, religion, weight, gender, or disability.
Promoting or aiding discrimination and prohibited conduct
This includes the publishing or display of any sign or notice that promotes, expresses, or depicts discrimination or prohibited conduct (unless it is discouraging discrimination or prohibited conduct).
This also includes creating or putting up any sign, poster or picture that supports bullying, nasty behaviour, or behaviour that is not ok at work.
Understanding consent laws in Tasmania
There are laws that tell us what the age of consent is.
- If you are under 12 years old, you are not able to consent. Sex with anyone under 12 is against the law.
- If you are over 12 years old, it might be OK if your partner is no more than 3 years older than you.
- If you are over 15 years old, it might be OK if your partner is no more than 5 years older than you.
- If you are over 17 years old, you are able to consent if your partner is over 14 years old.
Everyone has a responsibility to know the age of their partner.
| Your age | Legally informed consent |
|---|---|
| Under 12 | Not able to consent |
| 12 years | Might be OK if your partner is 12-15 years old |
| 13 years | Might be OK if your partner is 12-16 years old |
| 14 years | Might be OK if your partner is 12-17 years old |
| 15 years | Might be OK if your partner is 12-20 years old |
| 16 years | Might be OK if your partner is 13-21 years old |
| 17 years | Able to consent if your partner is 14+ years old |
Image based abuse and online safety
If you share a picture with just one person, you no longer have control over who else might see it.
Here are some forms of image based or online abuse.
Doxing
When someone shares your personal information on the internet.
Sextortion
When someone threatens to share pictures of you on the internet unless you pay them money or do sexual acts with them.
Catfishing
When someone pretends to be a different person online. They might pretend to be a different gender, age or be interested in the same things as you. Usually done to get you to trust them and be friends with them.
Deepfake
A new picture that is made from two or more pictures, e.g. it might be your face on someone else’s body.
Understanding pornography
Pornography (or porn) is the name for pictures or videos that show sexual acts or naked bodies.
Porn is made to create sexual feelings. It is not always made with consent and rarely shows consensual relationships.
- Porn is not real.
- Porn is made to look good.
- Real life sex should feel good.
Respectful relationships have trust, good communication, kindness, empathy (sharing feelings), honesty, equality (sharing power, money or ideas evenly), respect for each other’s ideas and thoughts, and liking each other’s strengths.
A respectful relationship does not have people using power and control over each another.
A respectful relationship feels good and should never make you feel scared or unsafe.
With every right that we have it means that we also have the responsibility to do the same to other people.
Conversation starters
Pornography is easy to find on the internet. Do you think it shows what sex and romantic relationships are really like?
Not at all! The people who make pornography are paid actors. The pictures, videos, and movies are made like magazines or movies. The people are chosen because they have big breasts or large penises or because they look a certain way. Everything that happens has been made up by someone who writes a story. The story is not about real relationships – it is for entertainment.
Porn is made to look good; sex should be about what feels good. Some people can become addicted to porn and it can affect their life and their sexual activity.
Pornography has a lot of men who are strong and tough, and they tell the other people what to do. Is that how men should behave during sex and sexual activity?
Pornography movies and pictures are mostly made by men and made for men. They do show men being tough and rough and they don’t show respectful relationships.
Porn often shows men being rough, controlling, or violent towards women. This is because some people believe that men must be strong and the boss to be the best man.
This is not true, people of all genders can be strong, or sensitive, or cry.
Sex and sexual activity is best when it is respectful.
All sexual activity must have consent and should be fun and enjoyable for the people having sex.
The people in pornography look like they are having fun, even though the sex is rough. Do I need to do the same things during sex to make my partner happy?
People who make pornography are paid actors and they are told that they must look like they are having fun. In a real-life sexual relationship, people need to be respectful of each other and keep checking that they are happy and comfortable.
A lot of pornography shows very rough sex and makes it look like some people like to be hurt during sex. In real life people who have sex need to make sure that they are only doing things that make them both feel good. Sex should never cause you injury or harm.
It is not OK for someone to make you watch or look at pornography if you don’t want to see it.
Nobody in pornography ever asks for consent. Why?
Pornography is not real, because it is made by people who are paid actors and models. They know what they are going to do in the movie or photos, and they usually sign a consent form before the movie starts being made.
Some pornography or online material is illegal – if the people do not know what is going to happen, if there is no consent, or if there are children or animals in it, then it is illegal. It is hard to know if the pornography is legal or illegal, but watching or sharing illegal pornography is a crime.
In real life, consent should be asked for and given every time before each new sexual activity.
What about animated porn? They are not real people so is it OK to watch that?
While there are no real people in animated porn (sometimes called Hentai) the sex and sexual activity that is shown is also not real. Because animated porn uses cartoon characters, body parts like breasts might be very big. Or it might show the characters doing sexual things that are very violent, illegal, or impossible for people to do. If animated porn or Hentai contains images that look like children it is illegal.
Child abuse material is illegal.
It is important to remember that what has been made is done to look good and real sex and real sexual activity should feel good.
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