Can animals consent (to beastiality)?
No, they can't.
Consent is freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific. I think being "informed" is one of the biggest missing pieces here. We cannot inform animals on the risks of having sex with humans, therefore they cannot meaningfully consent to us.
Some of those risks include (to both animal and human):
- Physical trauma
- Psychological trauma
- Infections
- STIs
- Death
- Legal punishment
Furthermore, there is a large power imbalance between humans and other animals -- especially the animals that we call our pets. Through centuries of domestication, humans have selectively bred animal species to rely on us for their own survival. We have total control over even the tiniest minutia of their lives. We can and often do decide when or if they can have offspring, what their bodies look like (think of ear/tail docking), when and what they eat/drink, where they live, and when and how they die. Their lives are quite literally in our hands. Having sexual contact with something that we, as a species, have this much power and control over is undeniably exploitative.
I have heard some folks argue that animals can consent nonverbally. When asked how they know this, they might point to the animal's body language. They might believe that if an animal is visibly aroused or has even initiated the sexual activity, that must mean it's able to consent. They might also believe that if the animal truly didn't like it, it could easily resist and fight back.
These are all deeply flawed ideas that are incredibly familiar to me as a survivor of sexual assault.
These are all common sentiments used to invalidate survivors. We're frequently told things like: "You led him on so that means you wanted it." Biological responses that we can't help are weaponized against us: "You orgasmed so that means you liked it." The sentiments are often wrapped in misogyny, too: "Men are stronger than women, if he didn't want it he could've easily stopped her."
It doesn't matter whether we're talking about a human or a dog or a spider. None of that is consent.
Discussions about animals and consent tend to spiral out of control, though. Some folks might point out that animal species don't have the same standards of consent as humans. Forced sex and interspecies sex happens in the wild. Some folks may also point out that animals are already exploited by humans in numerous ways. They might bring up artificial insemination or butchering for meat, but these are different conversations for a different time. I don't think that they take away from the topic at hand.
As humans, I believe it is our responsibility uphold consent and protect each other from sexual harm. I believe it is our responsibility to extend that to the other numerous species that share our planet, too.