The toxic genre of Non Consent (non-con) Romance novels has to be addressed. To be clear, this is not about sexual assault appearing in stories as a crime. This is concerning stories where the rape/assault is romanticized, and is perpetrated by a love interest who suffers no consequences. It is about non consensual intimacy that is displayed as a normal part of a relationship. Non con romance books are normalizing sexual assault and should be treated as such. We put warnings when there is alcohol and drug use in movies and we have a rating system to let a viewer know what they are watching. The publishing world should do the same for books because at this point in time it is self governed and many people are being traumatized when the warnings are not comprehensive or consistent.

The problem is wide spread and one can find many non con romances being recommended on social media which is open to all, including children. The fact that we call it Non Con is a total disconnect from what non consent is; sexual violence. Yet many defend this as a healthy kink. If forced intimacy is how someone chooses to express themselves sexually then that it is their right. But should the media supporting and romanticizing sexual violence be so easily accessible? Should books romanticizing rape not come with an industry standard warning? Non con books could potentially hurt a person’s ability to recognize they are in an abusive relationship. Non con books desensitizes us to the realities of sexual assault when it is framed in a happily ever after scenario. Non con books are supporting rape culture with zero accountability.

Non con books should not be banned as that is an infringement on free speech. However non con books should be handled and labelled by the industry. It is the responsible thing to do. This would help victims or people who would like to avoid supporting media that normalizes sexual violence to avoid books that contribute to rape culture.

Please sign the petition to ask the publishers and authors who sell non con books to properly label and put real warnings on their books.