Learn About New Framework for Understanding and Preventing Sexual Assault with The Friendship Center and the Authors of Sexual Citizens
The Friendship Center will host a virtual talk for a live Helena audience with the authors of an acclaimed book based on a landmark study of sexual assault on a college campus.
(HELENA, Mont., Sept. 14, 2026) – The Friendship Center is pleased to welcome researchers Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan for a free public author talk and audience Q&A on Wednesday, September 30, at 5:30 PM at the Holter Museum of Art in Helena. The event will feature a discussion of Hirsh and Khan's Sexual Citizens, their acclaimed book based on a groundbreaking study that transforms how we understand and address sexual assault.
Drawing on the Sexual Health Initiative to Foster Transformation (SHIFT) at Columbia University, the most comprehensive study to date of sexual assault on a campus, Sexual Citizens presents a new framework for understanding and preventing sexual assault that emphasizes its social roots, based on the powerful concepts of “sexual projects,” “sexual citizenship,” and “sexual geographies.”
Research has shown that by the time they graduate, as many as one in three college women and almost one in six college men will have been sexually assaulted. Sexual Citizens examines why sexual assault is such a common feature of college life and offers a roadmap for how to prevent it.
This event coincides with the first few months of fall semester on college campuses that are often referred to in the sexual violence prevention field as the "Red Zone" because the time frame between August and November is when over 50% of campus sexual assaults occur, with students who are new to campus being particularly vulnerable.
College sexual violence is a widespread problem, making up the greatest proportion (43%) of total on-campus crimes in the United States. Conversations about these crimes have typically been focused on adjudication and punishment after assaults have occurred. Sexual Citizens makes the case for a prevention framework based on helping young people recognize their rights, desires, and autonomy, as well as the equivalent rights of their peers.
"We know many parents in our community feel very out of their depth or uncomfortable helping their children navigate intimacy or even ideas about sex they might be seeing in media or online," said Kim Patterson, Executive Director of The Friendship Center. "What I appreciate about Sexual Citizens is the message that we all have the ability—in any values framework—to help give young people the language and knowledge they need to have healthy relationships where they are less likely to experience or commit sexual assault. Sexual Citizens is really a book that’s for everyone."
Copies of Sexual Citizens can be purchased at Montana Book Company in Helena with a portion of sales being donated to The Friendship Center. Books will also be available for purchase at the event. Doors will open at 5 PM and complimentary charcuterie and light refreshments will be provided. Audience discretion is advised, as the discussion will include stories about sexual violence.
The author talk is free and open to all, but space is limited, so RSVPs are encouraged but not required. A recording will be available and shared with all registered attendees after the event. Visit thefriendshipcenter.org/sexualcitizens to learn more and reserve free tickets.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking, contact The Friendship Center anytime at 406.442.6800.
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About The Friendship CenterFounded in 1971, The Friendship Center is the community resource for addressing and preventing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking through advocacy, education, and outreach in Lewis and Clark, Broadwater, and Jefferson counties. Learn more at thefriendshipcenter.org.
Contact:
Kim Patterson, Executive Director
406.442.6800
About Sexual Citizens
Sexual Citizens transforms how we understand and address sexual assault. Through intimate portraits of life and sex among today’s college students, Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan present an entirely new way to understand sexual assault. Their insights transcending current debates about consent, predators in a “hunting ground,” or the dangers of hooking up.
Sexual Citizens reveals the social ecosystem that makes sexual assault a predictable element of life on a college campus. The powerful concepts of sexual projects, sexual citizenship, and sexual geographies provide a new language for understanding the forces that shape young people’s sexual relationships. The result transforms our understanding of sexual assault and provides a new roadmap for how to address it. Learn more at sexualcitizens.com.
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