Blog

Holding power is something we all do and have in all aspects of life. Power is omnipresent and can shift in dynamics. It is important to recognize this as we navigate romantic relationships. Read as our Center Director, Elaine Newton, about her experience of realizing when she held power in one of her relationships. She applied this realization to avoid hurting her partner.

“I would never do that” can make harm feel like something only other people cause. But violence prevention starts with honest self-reflection. Everyone has a role in noticing power, respecting boundaries, listening to feedback, and taking responsibility for their actions. Safer communities grow when people move beyond denial and choose accountability, care, and change.

Purity culture can teach shame, fear, and silence around sex, bodies, and desire. These messages can make it harder to talk about consent, boundaries, harm, and healing. Healthier relationships come from honest education, respect, choice, and care instead of control or judgment. Everyone deserves to understand their body, name their needs, and make decisions free from pressure or shame.

Virginity is often treated like a measure of worth, but it is a social idea shaped by shame, pressure, and control. People deserve to make choices about sex at their own pace and for their own reasons. Healthier relationships grow when communities respect boundaries, reject judgment, and value people for who they are, not their sexual history.

Queer relationships and communities can be joyful, loving, and powerful, but queerness alone does not make a space safe. Harm can happen in any relationship, even when people share identity or community. Real care means naming harm, respecting boundaries, noticing power, supporting survivors, and holding each other accountable. Safer queer communities grow through honesty, empathy, and self-reflection.