no means no
Emphatic repeated rejection
No means no is a slogan asserting that a refusal must be respected, particularly regarding sexual consent.
The phrase emphasizes that "no" is a complete sentence requiring no justification: She said no, and no means no.
It emerged from anti-rape activism in the 1980s and 1990s, later evolving into broader affirmative consent standards.
The phrase also applies outside sexual contexts to any boundary-setting: I told him I wasn't lending money again—no means no.
- rapistOne who commits assault
- stopCease all motion
- refusalAct of declining
- date rapeSexual assault by acquaintance
- boundariesLines marking separation
never · no · consent · affirmative consent · safe word · roofie · voice · assertiveness · empowerment · speak up · firmness · power imbalance · silence · nonverbal signals · verbal cues · sexual assault · autonomy · agency
no means nocoercion
Pressured compliance through threats
rape culture · boundary violation · manipulation · pressure tactics · badgering
means, mean, meant, meaning, meaningful, meaningless, meaningfully, noes