Queerying consent
Romantic relationship scripts, rape myths, and the 'sex game gone wrong
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2991932 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alexandra Fanghanel (0000-0002-4041-561X, University of Greenwich, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sexualities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1363-4607 • E-ISSN: 1461-7382 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13634607251372223 |
| OpenAlex | W4413915030 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 46 |
Consent is often positioned as the linchpin of sexual ethics and justice, framed within binary paradigms such as 'yes means yes' and 'no means no'. However, this fails to account for the complexities of power dynamics, ambiguous desires, and the interplay of verbal and non-verbal communication in sexual encounters. This paper critically interrogates how consent is constructed and mobilised in legal cases involving 'sex games gone wrong', where claims of consensual rough sex are often used to mitigate or exonerate acts of violence in which women are killed or injured by men. It provides an innovative intervention into these debates framed around the potentialities of queer approaches to consent and sexual encounters. Through in-depth analyses of Crown Court case transcripts, the paper reveals how heteronormative romantic relationship scripts and rape myths underpin consent narratives, often privileging male perspectives while erasing or discrediting those of women. Significantly, the paper draws on queer and BDSM scholarship to propose a 'queerying' of consent: a deconstructive approach that unsettles traditional assumptions and embraces the ambiguity, imperfection, and intersubjectivity of consent. By challenging the legalistic and cultural orthodoxy of consent, this paper offers a more nuanced, ethics-driven framework that fosters sexual justice in both legal and socio-cultural contexts
Art · Literature · Mythology · Psychoanalysis · Romance · Scripting language · Sociology · Computer Science · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology
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Unsafe Words
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Are Queer Men Queering Consent? A Scoping Review of Sexual Consent Literature Among Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Men
Faking to finish
Asking for it
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Willed ambiguity
Postfeminist sexual agency
“If a girl doesn't say ‘no’…”
Of “Sluts” and “Arseholes”
The Killing of Women in “Sex Games Gone Wrong”
From ignorance to knowledge
Is “Rough Sex” a Thing? A Survey of Meaning
You’re Gay, It’s Just What Happens”
The Making of Unwanted Sex
By the semi‐mystical appearance of a condom”
College Students and Sexual Consent
R v Brown
Sexual Consent Behaviors in Same-Sex Relationships
Kinky Sex Gone Wrong
Deconstructing ‘Rough Sex’ in a New Zealand Murder Trial
Just Say No? The Use of Conversation Analysis in Developing a Feminist Perspective on Sexual Refusal
Saint Foucault
Queerying consent
The Social Constituents of Sadomasochism
Amor fati
The Move to Affirmative Consent
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |