Provo, Alabama
More than 100 attendees packed the room at Sexcon 2021 for Master Cecil Knowles and Slave Kendra’s workshop “Consent: The Right Way to Do It.”
The three hour seminar was intended to cover scene preparation and negotiations, identifying red flags, and aftercare and post-scene discussion.
Because the session moderators wanted “everyone to feel comfortable and safe” they required a verbal acknowledgement that they were aware of the sexual nature of the discussion, they were consenting to hear other’s opinions, and that they could withdraw that consent at anytime.
The process was going smoothly until Gwen Smith, 22, became “triggered” by what she felt was “coercive pressure to consent because everyone else had already consented.”
Submissive Helen James agreed and then when into a “freeze response” unable to complete her objection before being taken to the event’s trauma tent for juice and debriefing.
A team from Consent Counts intervened and immediately engaged the room in a session of apologizing and trust exercises.
A small group of attendees began chanting “Justice for Helen and Gwen” making it impossible for the event to continue forward.
Even though they never got to any of the class content, Knowles said the event was a “big success.”
“I think it really helped people see what consent is all about.”
Slave Kendra agreed. “No one really learned anything, but hopefully everyone felt safe, which is the whole point.”
Attendee Master James Marks, 42, said “It was a real eye opener for me. I thought consent was just getting on the same page with someone and enjoying your time together. I never understood that just by attending a workshop I could be part of the problem.”
