Students at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo sought to increase awareness of sexual assault by printing up T-shirts that contained the slogan “I ♥ Consensual Sex.” Students who are members of the campus SAFER program partnered with the National Organization of Women to produce the shirts and distribute them on campus. The students said that the provocative shirts generated discussions on campus that allowed them to talk with their peers about the meaning of consent and the prevalence of sexual assault. But the school’s administration told the SAFER group that they could not longer use the university’s name on the T-shirt with the sexually suggestive language.
About 1,000 students signed a petition protesting the university’s decision. The administration then granted an exemption, saying that it supported the goals of the SAFER program.