“The sex education most of us got in school probably got us to the point of not breaking the law, not having an unwanted child and not spreading communicable disease. Marson’s session helped to elucidate the obvious- that our sexual wellbeing is a core part of living a fulfilling life and ought to be so much more than simply avoiding danger. The vast majority of us know that no means no but what does the confusing mix of body language, metaphor and slang that is often used to initiate sexual encounters in the real world mean. Clearly this is more difficult to discern. Marson’s discussion struck at a major cultural issue we have as society- an aversion to discussing sex directly whether through awkwardness, fear of rejection or worry it will destroy a mood. If there’s one thing I took away from Marson’s session is that we need to be much better at communicating our sexual wants and listening to that of our partners if we are to have fulfilling sexual experiences. Marson also discussed relatable experiences in terms of being a bystander to sexual harm. In our society we teach children from a young age to keep themselves out of trouble and worry primarily about their own business so it is no surprise that many of us struggle to intervene when a potential act of sexual harm is occurring, especially when we do not know all the details. Marson powerfully makes the case for more and better education at a young age in this skill of active bystanding as well as many other areas of sexual education- too often we learn what we know about sex from brutal experiences of trial and error. Marson is an extremely eloquent speaker with immense knowledge of the subject area which helps massively in engaging people in what can otherwise be an uncomfortable or heavy topic.”