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E66: Consent, Faith, and Masculinity (ft. Nathaniel Openshaw) - Real Men, Real Conversations
Description
This week’s episode of Aspire is a conversation about consent, faith, and what it means for young men to protect themselves and others. Host Alex Prout is joined by co-host Maria and guest Nathaniel Openshaw, a student at BYU-Idaho who is advocating for better health education, accountability for perpetrators, and healing for survivors.
Thaniel shares how hearing the experiences of friends and people he cared about pushed him to act, and how his own journey led him to recognize faults in society by analyzing his surroundings in his own life. He reflects on the lack of consent education in faith-based spaces and explains why he sees consent as a sacred principle rooted in agency, mutual respect, and ongoing communication. He also talks about how his Christian faith shapes his understanding of manhood, leadership, and the responsibility to protect others.
The conversation also explores how to teach these ideas in ways that resonate with students, especially in religious communities where sex and consent are often left out of the conversation. Thaniel shares the analogy he used in his talk to help others understand victim blaming and the importance of agency, while Alex and Maria reflect on the power of speaking up, listening, learning, and acting. In closing, Thaniel offers a simple but powerful statement: “I have the right to protect myself and others.”
Make sure to follow I Have the Right To and learn more at ihavetherightto.org
Aspire is produced by BenHudakProductions.com