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Position Statement on Sexual Rights in Times of Warfare

Our mission makes clear that we, The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), are committed to the promotion of sexual health through the development and advancement of the fields of sex therapy, counseling, and education. We uphold this mission through our professional commitments and accountability to the field, our stances on sexual rights, and our support of our members.

We offer this position statement in service of those efforts, and to make clear how our mission relates to global violence and warfare.

Sexual Health and Freedom: Our Commitment Reiterated

AASECT staunchly believes that every individual has the inherent right to enjoy a life that prioritizes sexual health and freedom. This involves ethical, freely chosen, and individually governed expressions of one's sexuality that are free from undue risk of physical or psychological harm.

AASECT is uncompromising in its stance that sexual rights and freedoms are universal human rights that must be protected for all, irrespective of age, background, or life circumstances. AASECT opposes all psychological, social, cultural, legislative, and governmental forces that would restrict, curtail, or otherwise interfere with the fundamental values of sexual health and sexual freedom. We hold this true above all arguments that would justify harm on the basis of religion, citizenship, race, gender, social class, ability, or geopolitical borders.

AASECT stands in unequivocal opposition to all forms of hate, including but not limited to anti-Arab hate, antisemitism, fascism, islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia. This includes justifications for killing, denial of pain, hate speech, and silencing of dialogue based on religious beliefs, national origin, race, or ethnicity.

AASECT also opposes all abuses of sexuality including, but not limited to, harassment, intimidation, coercion, prejudice, assault, rape, and the infringement of any individual's sexual and civil rights. We aim to practice a form of solidarity that makes clear that all human life is sacred. Therefore, our efforts towards sexual rights and freedoms are strengthened by the diversity of our identities and experiences, not divided by them.

Sexual Rights in Times of Warfare

AASECT is in solidarity with those negatively impacted by and who are combating systems of oppression, including those that manifest in racialized, gendered, and sexual injustice. We further advocate for a world free of sexual violence, vengeance, warfare, and genocide.

AASECT supports the healing and restoration of those negatively impacted by the actions of their nation’s governments, and those who are victims of foreign governments acting against them. This includes those who carry the burden of generational trauma from violence against their ancestors, their spiritual or cultural practices, and their homelands. We stand against the systems of oppression that create these conditions. We unconditionally affirm the right of all people to safety, freedom from harm, bodily autonomy, access to aid, justice, and restoration.

AASECT firmly believes in the necessity of humanitarian intervention in times of gross bodily autonomy violation. The highest attainable standards of sexual health are only possible when folks also have access to safe, sanitary, and secure living contexts. Lack of access to water, food, shelter, healthcare, and dignified end-of-life care are barriers to human rights and are causes for immediate action.

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We collectively feel the gravity of a world ravaged by violence and division. Nevertheless, we remain committed to our organizational mission to uplift sexual health, rights, and freedoms for all. We recognize that this is only possible when we continue to work together. Through our professional activities and our personal contributions to our communities, we can all effect meaningful change in the realities of sexual health across this nation.

We appreciate your ongoing efforts as we continue forward.