9th Annual GDS Summit on Sexual Assault & Consent

Cohorts are mixed groups of educators, students, and community partners. Cohorts are moderated by GDS student organizers. If you are not already in a cohort, please add yourself to any open slot.

Join us for a relaxed, interactive workshop where we’ll explore how banned books tackle themes of sexuality, desire, and identity—and why these books often land on the banned list in the first place. We’ll kick things off with a fun game called "Bible or Banned Book" where we’ll read surprising passages, and you’ll guess whether they’re from a classic banned book or the Bible. After that, we’ll dive into some key excerpts from banned literature and have an open discussion on why these portrayals of sexual experiences make people uncomfortable, what they say about society, and why they matter. This is a safe, judgment-free zone to explore how literature can challenge norms and open up conversations about identity and relationships. Perfect for readers, writers, and anyone curious about what gets books banned—and why it’s worth talking about.

The prosecutors take the attendees through the investigative steps of a true sexual assault investigation (names and identifying information changed) involving people who were strangers before the sexual incident. The discussion will cover relevant investigative steps, relevant potential crimes, whether a crime occurred, how those involved would potentially feel, and what could be done to assist the people involved. This will be an extremely interactive, eye-opening, and thought-provoking discussion.

Please join the Cohort Meeting with your school group. If you are a speaker, please join our Speaker Cohort group to get to know other speakers and community partners. For those students and educators attending without a school team, please join our Mixed Group Cohort group.