Uncensored U Sex Ed Podcast
Season 3 Episode 4: Consent is Sexy w/ Gowry Kaliyiluvila Rajesh
Uncensored U Sex Ed Podcast Season 3 Episode 4 Part 1 Consent is Sexy w/ special guest Gowry Kaliyiluvila Rajesh Guest Bio: Gowry is the Sexual Violence Prevention Education Coordinator at StFX. Much of her work happens alongside students, facilitating bystander intervention training and opening conversations about consent, boundaries, healthy relationships, sexual health, and mental health. She loves what she does and describes herself as a lifelong learner and unlearner. As an immigrant in Canada, Gowry has learned a great deal from navigating new places, communities, and ways of thinking. She is still learning and unlearning and she shared some of those experiences and reflections on the podcast. One thought she carries into her work is a quote attributed to Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Advertising and Sponsorship provided by: Pleasures N Treasures Show Notes: Unlearning Shame, Consent Language, and Sexual Health Education Across Cultures Uncensored U, The Sex Ed Podcast sits down with Gowry, the sexual violence prevention education coordinator at StFX University, to talk about what prevention really looks like on a university campus. The conversation focuses on consent, healthy relationships, cultural barriers, and how to make sexual health education more accessible for international students. Aimee and Sean guide the discussion around how students learn, unlearn, and sometimes resist sexual violence prevention messages, especially when language, gender roles, and shame shape what feels “normal.” Key topics Sexual violence prevention is not only about saying violence is wrong, but also about teaching boundaries, red flags, green flags, healthy communication, and relationship skills before harm happens. Gowry describes how moving from India to Canada required unlearning assumptions about sex, sexual health, and what is considered “normal” or respectable in different cultures. The conversation highlights language as a major barrier, especially when words like consent and boundaries do not translate cleanly across cultures or are not the terms students use in their own language. The episode explores how media shapes understanding, including how romanticized stories in film and culture can normalize chasing, repeated asking, and ignoring boundaries. Gowry notes that some students already know consent language but do not understand how it applies in real situations, especially around alcohol, power imbalance, and pressure. The discussion also covers gender roles, including expectations that men initiate, women stay quiet or submissive, and non-binary people are often erased from the script entirely.
