On the Wheel of Consent

• Online Conversation
• Register to access the livestream and one week of ad-free replay access
• Books are available to add to your order at check-out for pick-up from Marcus Books in Oakland, California or delivery only within the United States

For over 40 years Dr. Betty Martin has explored the nuances of consent. As a hands-on practitioner, chiropractor, somatic sex educator, certified surrogate partner and sacred intimate, Dr. Martin noticed a pattern in her client sessions wherein many clients would “allow” or go along with discomfort or unease rather than speak up for what they wanted or didn’t want. Dr. Martin discovered there was a major component of consent missing for people—the confidence that we have a choice about what is happening to us.

In her framework and book, The Art of Giving and Receiving: The Wheel of Consent, Dr. Martin traces the fundamental roots of consent back to our childhood conditioning. As children, many are taught that to be “good” we must ignore our body’s discomfort and be compliant. This approach teaches us that our feelings don’t matter more than what is happening, and that we don’t have a choice but to go along, whether we want to or not. As adults, this conditioning remains with us until we unlearn it, because we have not been taught or empowered to notice our boundaries, much less value or express our internal signals as the unwanted action is happening.

The implications of this approach to consent education extends beyond touch and intimate relationships. When we forget how to notice what we really want, we lose our inner compass. When we continue to go along with things we don’t feel are right, we lose our ability to speak up against injustice. This has a profound effect on society: we allow all manner of inequality, corruption, theft of natural resources, and our planet’s future health because “going along with it” just feels normal.

Join Dr. Martin and Poarch Creek Two-Spirit Indigiqueer soma-cultural sex therapist, sexuality educator, writer, activist, and musician Dr. Roger Kuhn for an empowering conversation on the psychology of consent. Drawing upon her life’s work and The Art of Giving and Receiving: The Wheel of Consent, Dr. Martin shares deeply nuanced ways to practice consent as an agreement that brings integrity, responsibility, and empowerment into human interaction—starting with touch and relationships—and further expanding our understanding of consent to social issues of equality and justice.
 

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Dr. Betty Martin has had her hands on people professionally for over 40 years, first as a Chiropractor and upon retiring from that practice, as a certified Surrogate Partner, Sacred Intimate, and Somatic Sex Educator. Her explorations in somatic-based therapy and practices informed her creation of the framework, The Wheel of Consent®.

As part of her work with the School of Consent, Betty travels around the world teaching practitioners how to create empowered agreements in their client sessions, in her highly sought-after training “Like A Pro: The Wheel of Consent for Practitioners.” Originally developed as an offering to teach much-needed consent skills to sex workers and touch providers, this training is now attended by somatic therapists, massage therapists, sexuality educators, medical and health care workers, activists, human resources folks and the spectrum of touch-based professional providers – all of whom complete the training with a clear understanding of how consent starts with our own bodies, and then expands outwards into all forms of human relating, with or without touch.
 

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Dr. Roger Kuhn is a Poarch Creek Two-Spirit Indigiqueer soma-cultural sex therapist, sexuality educator, writer, activist, and musician. Dr. Kuhn’s work explores the concepts of decolonizing and unsettling sexuality and focuses on the way culture impacts and informs our bodily experiences. He is a community organizer of the Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit (BAAITS) powwow, and a board member of the Two-Spirit & Native LGBTQ+ Center for Equity. His latest music project, Mvto, is a songwriting anthology of his work over the past two decades. His first book, Somacultural Liberation, is currently available in paperback or audio. Learn more about Dr. Kuhn at his website.

We are grateful to our Bookstore Partner

Marcus Books is the nation’s oldest Black-owned independent bookstore celebrating its 60th year. Marcus Books’ mission is to provide opportunities for Black folks and their allies to celebrate and learn about Black people everywhere. Learn more about Marcus Books.

Accessibility Information

If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page.

Important Event Information

Access to the livestream event is limited to registered guests. Registered ticket holders will receive the link to watch the livestream, will have access to chat and Q&A, and will have an ad-free watching experience.

Recording Policy

Ticket holders will have access to an ad-free replay of the event for one week after the live event. A replay with ads will be released on our YouTube channel one week after the livestream. Portions of the audio will also be released on our podcast. Only registered ticket holders who choose to watch live can participate in the chat and Q&A.

Refund Policy

All tickets and donations for this event are nonrefundable.