Rites of Spring Circles Community Values Around Sex

Sex and Sexuality

EarthSpirit Community Values Around Sex and Sexuality

We value our sensuality. Physical touch and sexuality are aspects of our experience that can bring pleasure and power and joy. We value the ways we can connect with others through our bodies and shared sensual and sexual experiences.

We value a wide variety of sexual and gender identities and expressions. We value the freedom to express our whole selves, including our sexual selves. We also know that we can make a space that is safe for self-expression only when we respect the boundaries of others.

As a community, we affirm that sex positivity and sexual safety are values that support each other and are not mutually exclusive.

We honor the need for boundaries around times and places for sexual self-expression in order to keep our community safe for all, including families and survivors of sexual violence.

We value consent. Everyone gets to make choices about their own bodies, to say yes or no freely, and to both give and refuse consent at any time for any reason. Both saying and hearing no are respectful forms of communication we all must be open to.

We affirm that a great deal of communication takes place non-verbally and that this is a powerful way to interact. We also know that we are a diverse community and that non-verbal communication can be misunderstood. We all hold the responsibility for using words to hold clear boundaries when needed.

We value the community’s role in keeping each other safe by noticing potentially unsafe behavior. We also affirm that open and respectful dialogue is critical to our ability to understand expressions of sexuality that are different from our own.

We value our youth and their journey towards their own sexual identities and experiences. We want to be a community that allows young people to explore sexuality and sensuality as they wish to in a safe way. To do that, we respect and enforce state and federal laws barring sexual contact between minors and adults.

We recognize that we can all have errors of judgement and failures of communication. When these errors are made in good faith and there is willingness to change, we have an opportunity as a community to help each other learn and grow through a strong restorative process.

If you want to talk with us about an incident that is counter to our values:

How to reach us

  • Email us at scs@earthspirit.com . This goes to members of our Sexual Culture and Safety Committee and you will get a personal response. We strive to ensure that committee membership reflects the diverse gender and sexual identities of our community.
  • If we are on-site at an event, you can reach out via the Registration table or by asking to speak to an Operations Supervisor. While at events, we cannot be reached by email.
  • If your report involves a minor, please be aware that the SCS Committee includes mandated reporters.