"No." is different from "No....well, okay."
One is no, one is changing your mind.
If you're allowed to change your mind in every other context? Why not with sex? Easy answer is, you can. And it goes in both directions. You can be Yes!.....aaaaaand no. Full stop. Just because you started off willingly participating/consenting with sex doesn't mean you can't change your mind and rescind your consent. At any point. At which point, if they don't stop (in a reasonable time period*)? It becomes rape or sexual assault. Just like if you let someone into your home, & they refuse to leave (in a reasonable period of time) when you tell them to go? At the very least it becomes trespassing. Babysitter won't return your kid? Kidnapping. Taxi driver doesn't take you where you want to go but locks the doors and won't let you out? Abduction. You can start out agreeing, and change your mind, at any time. And that's your right. Your body, your home, your child, your choice what happens with them. No one else's. Or, again; rape, trespassing, kidnapping, abduction. Yes can become no.
Consent is not a static thing. What is consent? A willing, sober, and continuous Yes. Consent can always be revoked.
And the inverse is also true. Just because I've come home from work exhausted, don't touch me, ugh! Doesn't mean that after a shower, or my neck being chewed on for a little while, that I won't revoke my no, and replace it with not only yes, but hell yes! Refusing to come near me because I said no 5 minutes ago? Or no last month? Doesn't hold water. Unless I've also told them no forever, go away, etc. At which point it becomes stalking, harassment, etc.
What's the difference between romance/seduction & stalking/harassment? Whether it's a no (not right now) or no (go away and never return / hitting restraining order -or knee to the nuts- territory).
* I put this here because we tend to be black and white thinkers 'round these parts. It's not kidnapping if you want your kid back from the babysitter, and they're at the zoo, and it will take 30 minutes to get to the car, and another hour in midtown traffic. But if they're standing right in front of you? 10 seconds is too long and if they're like, it'll take me 90 minutes before I'll even consider it? They're crazy. Reasonable time periods vary depending on circumstance. In sex/sexual assault as with everything else.
