PSA: ASPECC Inclusive Policies Message From the President

Hi! My name is Angel. I use she/her pronouns, and I am the president of Alberta Sex Positive Education and Community Centre. We are a grassroots non-profit organization that promotes sex positive values by way of presentations, workshops, discussion groups, documentary screenings, events, socials, etc.

Sex Positive simply means having a positive view regarding sex. For us, that means we believe that consensual sexual behaviours and diversity in sexuality are healthy and normal. We believe that sex education should include information about pleasure, gender, relationship skills and risk reduction, but should not include messages about shame.

I am one of the four founders of ASPECC, and it is the beliefs and values of the four of us that created the foundation for the policies that govern us at ASPECC. Our current board is very diverse and continues to mold and shape the organization in ways that are supportive of a diverse, consensual community.

Some of the foundational values are:
That every single human has the right to say YES to sexual activity, AND they have the right to decline sexual activity without fear of repercussions.
That we each have the right to our body, and that this right should be upheld as much as humanly possible. This means having the right to be asked before being touched, to choose to modify our body with makeup, tattoos, piercings, and to be able to choose what happens to our body, be that birth control, surgeries, or sex.
That as humans with the rights to our own bodies, we are able to choose to engage in consensual sex as we see fit, be it with one person or one hundred, be it for love or for money.
That we have the right to know about our bodies and how they work, from anatomy to pleasure.
That being nude is not the same as sex. Nude bodies are merely not clothed. Nudity does not equate consent to sex.
That pleasure is diverse and natural, and should be part of the conversation if we are talking about sex.

All of our policies and programs reflect these values. A glance at our calendar or a browse through our blog/newsletters will confirm that everything we do at ASPECC is based on these values. From our documentaries to our socials, we are embracing and promoting sex positive values and providing others the opportunity to explore in an environment that does not tolerate the use of deliberate, oppressive language or sexual aggression.

It is our policy to address oppressive language as follows:
We remind people at the beginning of discussions and presentations that bigotry, aggression and hateful speech and/or behaviours are not welcome here.
If someone uses oppressive language, we gently but firmly state that this type of language is not welcome at the Centre, and if necessary explain why.
If the use of oppressive language continues, we let the person know that they need to leave the space.
If someone returns, and again insists on using oppressive language, we will then refuse them entrance to further events and insist on them leaving the space. In this case the person would not be able to return prior to a successful appeal.

It is our policy to address aggressive behaviours as follows:
At the beginning of any events where nudity or sexual discussions is present, we remind attendees what our consent policy is (Affirmative, enthusiastic, freely given, revocable, specific, informed and PRIOR to any touch).
If an individual does not stop asking for (sex, cuddles, hugs, dirty talk, play etc) after they are declined, we gently but firmly explain the rules. If they continue, they are informed they need to leave the event.
If an individual touches someone in a sexual way without their explicit, prior, enthusiastic consent, they are informed they need to remove themselves from the event. In such cases the person would not be able to return prior to a successful appeal.

If you have question about our policies, or concerns over any attendee, volunteer or board member conduct, please contact us.
Phone 587-520-3229
www.aspecc.ca/contact-us
Each board member is also listed HERE: www.aspecc.ca/meet-the-team along with email addresses. If you prefer to mail us, our mailing address is
ASPECC
12031 76st NW,
Edmonton ,AB T5B 2C9