Katrina Marson in conversation with Bri Lee

‘Beautifully told and realistic … Marson’s compelling argument builds to the realisation that as long as our collective fear allows us to remain gatekeepers of knowledge, we remain complicit in denying our young people healthy and fulfilling sexual lives.’ – Dr Melissa Kang, aka 'Dolly Doctor'

‘Necessary and fascinating … Marson shows us how talking about our personal relationships, boundaries, and sex, from a younger age than you’d think, can protect all our kids, and lead to better relationships and a much safer adolescence.’ – Daisy Turnbull

Over her decade working as a sexual offences prosecutor, Katrina Marson kept returning to the same question: what can be done to prevent the level of harm that she was witness to? In her new book, Legitimate Sexpectations, she exposes the fault lines in the justice system and society, and puts forward a powerful case for a necessary cultural shift built on early, open and honest conversation around sexual health and behaviour.

Join Marson on Thursday 11 August at the Royal Oak Hotel, where she will be in conversation on this urgent and sensitive topic with Bri Lee, award-winning author of Eggshell Skull.

Attendees are asked to arrive at 6.30pm or earlier for a 7pm start upstairs at The Royal Oak Balmain. Seating is unallocated – another reason to arrive early to secure an optimal spot. Why not make a full evening of it, too, by booking a meal at the Royal Oak before or after the event? One of Balmain's oldest and best-known pubs, it serves a delicious range of food and beverages.

Legitimate Sexpectations will be available for purchase at the venue through Roaring Stories, with book signings from Marson following the discussion.

If you miss out on a ticket, you can still watch the event as it is livestreamed from the Roaring Stories Facebook page (accessible on the Home page and from the Live tab). A recording will also be available to view later as an upload on the Roaring Stories YouTube channel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ABOUT LEGITIMATE SEXPECTATIONS

As a sexual offences prosecutor, Katrina Marson works for an institution that can only respond, one case at a time, to sexual violence once the damage is already done. During a decade of looking back, she kept returning to a single question: what could have been done to prevent this?

In 2019 she stepped out of the justice system to travel abroad on a Churchill Fellowship, where she witnessed first-hand the power of comprehensive relationships and sexuality education to safeguard sexual wellbeing and act as a protective factor against sexual violence. Combining her coalface experience in the criminal law with her international research on sex education, Marson’s perspective is unique, looking in two directions at once.

Legitimate Sexpectations exposes the limits of the criminal justice system and the fault lines in our society when it comes to sex, sexuality, and relationships. Through storytelling that moves between heartbreak and hope, Marson makes the case for a cultural shift towards valuing sexual wellbeing and preventing sexual violence in the first place. In doing so, she calls on us all to play our part to ensure that people can expect sexual experiences that are not just free from violence, but far from violent.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ABOUT KATRINA MARSON

Katrina Marson has been a criminal lawyer since 2013, primarily in the areas of family violence and sexual offences. On secondment for two years, Katrina led the implementation of the Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission's criminal justice recommendations in the ACT before returning to the ACT DPP as a senior prosecutor in the Sexual Offences Unit. She undertook a Churchill Fellowship in 2019 researching the implementation of relationships and sexuality education overseas. She is the lead researcher of primary prevention at Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy and is the President of the Relationships and Sexuality Education Alliance in the ACT. Legitimate Sexpectations: the power of sex ed is her first book.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ABOUT BRI LEE

Bri Lee is an author and freelance writer. Her journalism has appeared in publications such as The Monthly, The Saturday Paper, Guardian Australia and Crikey. Her first book, Eggshell Skull, won Biography of the Year at the ABIA Awards, the People's Choice Award at the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, and was longlisted for the 2019 Stella Prize. Her second book Who Gets to Be Smart was published in 2021. She is also a non-practicing lawyer and continues to engage in legal research and issues-based advocacy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TERMS & CONDITIONS

a) COVID Safety

This is a COVID Safe event. Attendance is conditional on compliance with current and relevant NSW Heath COVID Safe guidelines.

b) Refunds

Please note that tickets are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled or postponed due to extenuating circumstances. Refunds cannot be issued 48 hours before the event.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This event is presented by Roaring Stories Bookshop Balmain and Scribe Publications

With thanks to our venue partner The Royal Oak Balmain

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Follow Roaring Stories and join the conversation

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter