Consent is a major buzzword in the relationship world these days, particularly among single people and those in a college campus setting. Sexual consent refers to the explicit action of allowing a sexual act to take place. In other words, as intimacy is occurring, consent must occur during every act of foreplay, all the way up to actual intercourse. Moving to the next level of intimacy means asking permission to do so, such as saying, "Is this OK?" or "Are you comfortable?" What consent is not is the absence of saying "no." Intimate partners shouldn't assume that just because their partners didn't explicitly agree that proceeding in the act is acceptable, especially if said partner is incapacitated. A sex act committed when someone lacks the ability to give consent, whether passed out, asleep, mentally incapacitated or otherwise, is considered sexual assault. Period. Coercion or pressuring a partner is not a means of gaining consent, either. And no matter the level of commitment in the relationship – first date all the way up to marriage – if consent isn't given, then the act could be considered rape or assault. Simply being in an established relationship doesn't give you permission to have sex with your partner anytime. All of this talk about permission may sound really awkward, but it's important in order for the participants to feel safe and comfortable and to prevent any laws from being broken. No matter who you are, what stage of the relationship you're in or how far you've gotten in the act, there is always the option of refusing to give consent.