Scotland

Short skirts and drunkeness not an invitation to rape. Agreed. No means no, agreed. Lack of physical violence not an indication of consent, agreed. No one with any sense would seriously argue against these points and it is deeply embarassing that as a society we still need to.

But what does it mean in practice when Cath Elliot says, "if he carries on regardless without checking for consent first, then the blame lies solely with him."? What constitutes a check for consent? How often must it be asked and at what moments? Should this apply to both parties and how would that work? Can you kiss without consent? What constitutes consent (verbal or non verbal)? What if neither of you feel comfortable with constantly checking for consent? If you have sex with someone without explicit consent: "Yes, you may have sex with me" as outlined above, are you a rapist?

Chucking that little hand grenade into the debate without explanation makes most of us (presumably male and female alike) de facto rapists, which is absurd, and undermines the credibility of her argument.