Sex: Consent Is One of My Favourite Things
Boyfriend’s boundaries change.
Which is okay.
My boundaries change.
The fact is, sometime he’s okay with certain things, and sometimes he’s more dysphoric and certain things can make that worse. Sometimes something that was fine for weeks, that was fine yesterday, can be not okay.
Consent is not a constant. If someone gives you consent to do something once, it doesn’t mean that it’s alright from then on.
I’m not trying to make you feel guilty or ashamed. I’m trying to stress that it’s normal for their boundaries to change, for them to decide that they don’t want you to touch them in a certain way or certain place.
What’s worked out easiest for Boyfriend and I is to discuss issues as they crop up - like, mid-makeout session fairly early on, I broke off to ask him about touching his chest (through his shirt and binder). He told me it was alright if I stayed outside his clothes and stayed above his collarbone.
Over time, we adjusted these boundaries. But it made things so much easier when we talked about what was okay and what was not before we ran into things neither of us was ready for.
Another thing we did later on was that when I would accidentally push a boundary, he’d just let me know, I’d make a mental note, and we’d move on. Business as usual.
It can make it easier to not treat it like it’s a huge deal. After the umpteenth your or their boundaries change, it’s really not. Ask what’s okay, what’s not - and then move on. If you need to process and discuss, that’s perfectly valid - but if you are going to be involved with a trans*man, it may actually become fairly routine.
Basically, I fucking love consent.
It is one of the best things ever.
Because, frankly, it makes things a hell of a lot easier.
Trust me, it’s way better to ask right before sex if anything has changed since last time than not asking and stumbling into some sad, dysphoric sex.
Bottom line?
- Ask them what’s okay and what’s not okay.
- Ask what the boundaries are.
- Consent is the bomb.
Thoughts? Questions?
Oh lord, this is the best fucking thing.
