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FORT MCPHERSON, Ga. (April 9, 2009) - If
watching a 90-minute improvisational comedy show put on by a
professional production company from Chicago isn't your idea of
sexual assault prevention training, you probably haven't attended
"Sex Signals," a play currently being performed at Army
installations around the world as part of the Army's "I A.M.
Strong" campaign.
The play, which was performed at the Fort McPherson Post Theater
April 8 and 9, gives audience members the opportunity to reflect on
dating, sex and the core issue of consent and seeks to elevate
their thinking beyond rape clichés like: "No means no."
"Date rape isn't always a legal issue - it's a human issue,"
said Kyle Terry, one of the actors in the two-person
production.
The overall message of the production is that gaining consent to
have sex with someone isn't that different than gaining consent to
do other things - like taking a drink from someone else's water
bottle - and if the rules of common courtesy are applied,
misunderstandings and sexual assaults can be avoided.
Rather than viewing sexual encounters as a game in which one
partner pushes the boundaries as far as he or she (but usually
"he") can go before hearing the magic words "stop" or "no", Terry
and his partner Sharyon Culberson encourage being sensitive to the
signals put out by others in dating situations and acting
accordingly. It would be absurd to try to trick or force someone
who doesn't want to go to the movies into doing so; likewise, it's
absurd to apply manipulative or coercive tactics to obtain sex.
"A lot of people don't realize that rape is behavior they are
capable of because they still think of it as someone jumping out of
a dark alley with a mask on," said Terry. "Actually, people get
into dangerous territory if they fail to read, or choose to ignore,
the signals put out by their potential partners. It's more than
just listening for 'no,' " he added.
Terry said one of the surest ways of avoiding sexual assault is
to have a conversation about sex before actually having it.
Sgt. Major William Lemons, the Equal Opportunity advisor for
U.S. Army Central, said educating Soldiers about how to avoid
sexual assault is part of the Army's ambitious goal of taking the
lead in eliminating it, not only the Army, but in American society
as a whole.
"Eventually, the Army would like to take this training to high
schools, where people's attitudes and behaviors can be shaped
before they join the service," Lemons said.
Lemons added that the play seems to be a much more effective
training tool than older methods, such as slide shows.
For more information about the play, visit www.catharsisproductions.com. For more
information about the steps the Army is taking to eliminate sexual
assault, visit www.sexualassault.army.mil.
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