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Those who engage in BDSM (bondage/discipline, domination/submission and sadism/masochism) activities may experience rare injury, physical/sexual assault, consent violation, etc. However, prior negative experiences with police coupled with the stigmatisation and in some country’s criminalisation of BDSM, may deter kink practitioners from seeking police assistance if needed. This may be increasingly true for Gender, Sexual and Relationship Diverse (GSRD) kink-involved individuals (e.g. LGBTQ+). Using mixed methods and an intersectionality and minority stress model framework, we surveyed 623 international self-identified BDSM participants, to explore their perceptions of police. Overall, GSRD participants (e.g. transgender) had greater negative perceptions of police inside and outside of BDSM-contexts compared to non-GSRD participants (e.g. cisgender, heterosexual). Within BDSM-contexts, participants felt that police were poorly educated about BDSM, viewed BDSM dynamics (e.g. dominant/submissive) negatively, did not take reports of consent violations seriously, and should play a minor role in kink communities. While some participants said they would contact police if there was evidence a severe crime was committed, they still expressed concerns and hesitancy. These included fears of judgement, discrimination, not being taken seriously and outing. Others explained a lack of trust in police and therefore would never seek police assistance, or only as a last resort. Nevertheless, participants recognised the existence of a poor relationship between police and kink communities, and a need to improve the relationship. Specific areas where BDSM/police relationships can be improved are discussed, including the use of collaborative officer education initiatives and on-going and future revisions to existing legal frameworks internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies have remarked upon the increase in representation of kinksters and BDSM practices in mainstream media narratives, community voices indicate that these narratives do not provide an authentic portrayal of their community. This misrepresentation of kinksters results in stigmatization and forces the community to manage its minority stress. This article reflects upon the results from a series of interviews with Dutch poly-kink-identified participants about mainstream representations of their community. The participants agree on several main objections to this representation: mainstream media narratives ignore community norms, while they actively sensationalize and pathologize kink, and insist on stereotypical gender relations. Together, this representation undermines the transgressive potential of poly-kink relations and increases the stigmatization of this community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on an interview-driven ethnographic study of the Swedish digital BDSM, fetish and kink platform Darkside, this article explores digital kink expressions at a moment when kink communities are both marginalized and seemingly mainstream, navigating a tricky balance between visibility and invisibility, intelligibility and unintelligibility. Across queer, postcolonial, and digital media theorizing, "opacity" provides a way of rethinking these tensions, challenging the idea of public visibility and identification as that which legitimizes sexual otherness. Building on this work, I suggest the term "kink obscurity" as a way of conceptualizing a set of tactics for sexually marginalized groups to exist, resist, and transgress without becoming fully visible or graspable. To these ends, I foreground a "closet positive" analysis of Darkside, not primarily of shame, secrecy, and isolation, but of shared spaces of vulnerability and intensity, a temporary safe house which partly protects against normative regulation. Although the platform activist ethos speaks to the value of openness and outness for the sake of sexual justice, the users are quite invested in anonymous and pseudonymous online presence and sexual expression. Opacity implies a lack of clarity; something opaque may be both difficult to see clearly as well as to understand. Drawing on Édouard Glissant's idea of opacity as a form resistance to surveillance and imperial domination, a digital sexual politics of obscurity could help provide recognition without a demand to fully understand sexual otherness, opening up for new modes of obscure and pleasurable sexual expressions and transgressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The twenty-first century has seen the proliferation of new sexual identity subcultures rooted in creative role-play dynamics, expanding our cultural and scientific understanding of diversity in sexuality and intimacy. In an international sample of 568 people who identified with the kink subculture of pup play, we analyzed responses to open-ended questions about the discovery of pup play and communities, definitions of pup play, and motivations for engagement. Four themes were identified: (1) social technologies as central to discovery of the subculture; (2) constructionist accounts of pup identity development emerging from relationships and exposure to other kink communities; (3) individual psychological benefits of subculture participation, including stress relief, relaxation, and pleasure; and (4) social psychological benefits in identity and community building. We situate these findings in relation to the expansion of diversity in sexual identity and intimacy in the twenty-first century, facilitated by the heightened visibility and opportunities for social and intimate creativity which have accompanied the growth of social media and exposure to new sexual stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kink and BDSM can have healing and liberatory potential for practitioners, whether kink-identified or not, particularly Black women and those who are members of alternative sexual communities. This study presents data from N = 22 kink/BDSM-identified, experienced, and non-kinky/BDSM Black ciswomen on their awareness of and engagement in kink and BDSM (bondage and discipline, sadism and masochism, dominance, and submission). Qualitative data were from Phase Two of The Big Sex Study, a #HotGirlScience participatory action project. Reflexive thematic analysis resulted in four themes: (1) Kink/BDSM Introductions, (2) Identity Within/Outside of Kink/BDSM, (3) Kink/BDSM in Action (subthemes: Principles and Values, Sexual Practices, Partner Compatibility, and Digital Spaces), and (4) Liberation and Healing. Participants reported 49 kink/BDSM activities and demonstrated an awareness of kink/BDSM identities, values, and behaviors regardless of their experience or identification with kink/BDSM. We conclude with implications for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Stigma and discrimination have been shown to be significant barriers to healthcare utilization and provider trust among sexual minority groups including BDSM and kink communities. Aim This exploratory study sought to better understand medical mistrust and experiences of discrimination in primary care settings and how these factors predict hiding kink-related injuries from healthcare providers. Methods A total of 301 individuals who self-identified as being a member of the BDSM community and engaged in BDSM-play activities completed an online survey. Outcomes Participants completed measures including experiences with BDSM-play-related injuries, disclosure of BDSM activity to healthcare providers, measures addressing mistrust in in healthcare providers (such as avoidance of questions about sexual health or STI testing), and experiences with discrimination in healthcare settings because of BDSM group membership (such as perceptions of being insulted or receiving poor care). Results Nearly, 40% of participants indicated at least one experience with discrimination in the healthcare system because they identified as a member of the kink community. Over 20% of participants indicated there were BDSM-related concerns they would have liked to discuss with their primary care provider but did not. Participants who hid injuries from their primary care provider had higher levels of medical mistrust and more experiences with medical discrimination than those who disclosed their injuries. A stepwise logistic regression determined that medical mistrust served as a significant predictor of hiding injuries from healthcare providers. Clinical Implications Patients who are members of the BDSM community are likely to have had negative healthcare experiences, and these experiences impact their communication with and trust in future medical encounters. Strengths and Limitations Strengths of the study include addressing diverse components of stigma in healthcare including both experiences with discrimination as well as perceptions of the medical field. Furthermore, potential direct consequences of past negative experiences such as hiding injuries from healthcare providers were examined. Given the likely impact of race, gender, and BDSM group membership on experiences with discrimination, a limitation includes the limited representations of BDSM participants from minoritized racial and ethnic groups. Furthermore, in addressing injuries, the survey did not differentiate intended or expected injuries obtained in BDSM play from unintentional or unwanted injuries. Conclusion Mistrust in the medical system impacts members of the BDSM community's willingness to disclose injuries to their healthcare provider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Role-playing is a common practice within the bounds of kink, fetish, and/or BDSM erotic encounters. The application of Jungian Shadow concept to the erotic or SM role-play practices is explored in this article, which is an update to the author's 2007 chapter Shadowplay: SM journeys into ourselves. Areas such as past trauma, cultural trauma, issues around gender and power, and therapeutic aspects of engaging in role-play in the context of BDSM encounters are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research has examined the incidence of psychological distress and mental disorders among people who practice alternative sexualities known as "kink" or BDSM, but there are very few studies of the positive impact of kink sexuality on psychological well-being. A total of 1,402 individuals participated in the 2016 National Kink Health Survey; 1,003 participants were included in the analysis presented here. Participants were included if they answered the survey question: (a) Do you feel that your involvement in kink has affected your mental health, either positively or negatively? Two other follow-up questions were asked: (b) If yes, has that effect been positive or negative or both?; (c) Please comment, if you would like, to expand on your experiences related to the last question. Results indicated that 66% of the 1,003 participants found that kink sexuality had a positive impact on their mental health, and qualitative analyses found that the impact focused on four areas of well-being: autonomy, positive relations with others, personal growth, and self-acceptance. Negative impacts were also noted, mostly in the area of difficult/negative relations with others that included stigma/prejudice, interest discrepancies within intimate relationships, and poor treatment or abuse from intimate partners. This research indicates that participation in kink sexuality can be a source of personal growth and healing, at least for some individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional concepts of sexuality and intimacy contain normative assumptions that limit the fluidity and creativity with which individuals' relational, gender, and affectional identities can be expressed. This theoretical article applies the seven axioms of Hammack et al.'s paradigm of queer intimacy to a case study of a client who identifies as queer, kinky, poly, transmasculine, and neurodivergent. The resulting conceptualization illustrates ways in which kink and bondage/domination and sadomasochism can contribute to identity development, congruence, and self-actualization. Implications for counseling are provided along with humanistic themes found within the case study. Humanistic counselors can connect more authentically with queer, kinky, polyamorous clients by acknowledging the diversities of clients' identities and behaviors and increasing counselor competencies related to queer, kink, and poly cultures and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the special issue "Reimagining 'Kink': Transformation, growth, and healing in BDSM." The article provides a description of the atypical sexual/erotic or leisure practices and interests that are labeled kink or covered by the acronym BDSM. The article presents a general overview of the prevalence of kinky fantasies, interests, behaviors, and identities built on these activities. A discussion of the importance of consent is also reviewed as a core feature of this type of sexual or leisure activity, which is assumed or discussed by all the articles in the special issue. An overview of the individual papers in the special issue is presented to highlight the ways in which kink sexuality can be an opportunity for peoples' personal growth, self-actualization, healing, and transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the direct connection between anal sex and pleasure, the majority of academic literature frames anal sex in terms of homophobia and/or disease. In the large body of literature on anal sex, only two academic articles have been published on anoreceptive heterosexual males (ARHMs), despite evidence of this type of sexuality dating back to Ancient Egypt and Greece. A review of the literature suggests that the lack of empirical research on ARHMs is due to compulsory heteronormativity, which can instill sexual shame in those with nonconforming sexual preferences. Some ARHMs are BDSM-oriented, and given that BDSM behavior and identity are also stigmatized, BDSM-oriented ARHMs have an additional concealable status that is subject to prejudice. Skills such as higher level communication and self-reflection often inform BDSM interactions and relationship structures, therefore, BDSM-oriented ARHMs may have more opportunity to develop skills to offset shame and stigma, and may take pride as well as pleasure in subverting traditionally heteronormative anoreception roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research finds that people’s perspectives on sexual interactions shift with time and new experiences. Despite this, little empirical work has explored the role that communication following a sexual interaction plays in partners’ perceptions of each other and the sexual interaction. This study began to address this gap by applying impression management theory and gender performance theory to analyze 40 interviews with BDSM (Bondage/discipline, Dominance/submission, Sadism, Masochism) practitioners who “top,” or enact a dominant role, about a community-held practice called “aftercare.” Participants were U.S. residents, ages 23-65, and included 14 cisgender women, 19 cisgender men, 2 transgender women and 5 non-binary individuals. Findings showed practitioners used aftercare to manage the impression they leave on their partners, the wider BDSM community, and themselves. Further, data revealed gender differences in how BDSM practitioners understood and articulated aftercare. Overall, these findings offer an empirical example of impression management in erotic interactions and the role that gender plays in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing interest in the psychologies and social lives of those involved in BDSM, we know too little regarding BDSM identity formation. To address this, we integrate theories of group psychology and social interaction to explore BDSM identity formation and negotiation. Thematic analysis of 16 in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of Israeli BDSM practitioners, suggests three important aspects of BDSM personal and group identity development, including disclosure management, community discovery and involvement, and negotiating evolving personal identities within the group. Practitioners describe negotiating identity disclosure; successful, failed, or declined integration into BDSM communities; and negotiating shifting identities. BDSM practitioners must navigate whether and how personal identities fit with sexual norms within a larger societal context (e.g., Israel) and within BDSM communities, risking stigma when violating these standards. Yet, we find that, while groups constrain, they also provide support for those who challenge social constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing proportion of the global population engages in alternative sexual behaviors and relationships, which are commonly grouped and known as kink or BDSM (bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, sadism-masochism). Mainstream stigma and provider pathologizing of these behaviors and relationships may make kink-involved populations reticent to seek health care treatment. Moreover, some kink activities appear to expose kink-involved people to higher risks for HIV infection. To date, no studies have explored HIV risk prevention interventions for kink-involved people. The proposed study seeks to address the absence by describing a study designed to address HIV risk prevention with PrEP for this understudied and neglected population by testing an educational-entertainment intervention designed to focus on kink specifically. Using a repeated-measures randomized experimental methodology, this study proposes to include data collection and exposure to intervention materials at 3-month intervals over 12 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evolutionary-biological framework may predict strengthened partners' cohesion resulting from certain mating strategies. We compared interpersonal equality in a relationship, emotional (life scale) submissiveness toward other people (LS), and future partnership expectations in three groups of BDSM women. The first group experienced submission only during sexual activities (PLAY). The second group also felt submissive in the relationship (REL). The last group was sexually aroused by both submission and dominance (SWITCH). When comparing LS and future partnership expectations, REL scored higher, while PLAY did not differ from SWITCH. Therefore, we summed PLAY+SWITCH and compared them to REL. REL, who expected a hierarchical interpersonal difference in the relationship, wanted to invest more into the relationship, would have missed the partner more, and were more likely to reject single sexual encounters, short, or parallel relationships than PLAY+SWITCH. Our findings suggest a mating strategy that involves stronger rejection of short-term relationships and higher investments into the relationships. Women of the REL group were also more submissive toward other people, so we consider this subgroup highly vulnerable to discrimination. Furthermore, their effort to maintain the relationship can make them vulnerable to violent partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As some BDSM activities can carry risk of temporary or permanent marks/injury, and even death, safety is a foundational principle to BDSM participation. Given the connection between BDSM and sex for some practitioners, pornography is a likely domain for learning about BDSM safety, given its easy accessibility online. However, it is unclear whether practitioners view BDSM safety depicted in pornography as accurate and whether it influences their own practices. Therefore, the current study surveyed self-identified BDSM practitioners' perceptions of pornography's accurate representation of communication, consent, safe words, negotiation, general safety, and how these perceptions relate to their use of safe words and safety training in their own activities. Results showed that (1) demographics nor BDSM-related attributes predicted perceived accuracy of BDSM safety depictions in pornography; (2) perceived accuracy of pornography's depiction of BDSM general safety and safe words did not predict practitioners' negotiation or use of safe words; however, years of BDSM experience did predict safe word usage; (3) submissive-related BDSM roles were more likely to use safe words than dominant-related BDSM roles; (4) those who participated in BDSM only in private were less likely to have CPR and/or first-aid training and more likely to have no other safety training; (5) those who believed pornography depicted BDSM safety mostly/very accurately were more likely to have no safety training; and (6) years of BDSM experience did not predict safety training. The impact of these findings on how we understand the influence of pornography on real-world BDSM practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing depictions of kink in mainstream society are leading to a rise in people seeking to learn about and participate in bondage/discipline, domination/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM). For many, this initial education process is likely to focus on the Internet and pornography specifically. Existing research into the impact of pornography on sex education has been mixed, though predominantly negative. However, pornography's role in BDSM education has yet to be explored. To address this gap, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with BDSM community leaders in Canada and the USA to examine from where and what practitioners learn about BDSM. Participants drew upon their personal experiences and those they interacted with in their capacity as a community leader. Interviewees identified the benefits and risks associated with using pornography as a learning tool for BDSM participation. They stressed how pornography's value as a learning tool has evolved over time, how it can normalise BDSM and increase self-acceptance, teach skills, and reinforce negotiation and consent practices. However, if consumers cannot separate fantasy from reality, pornography can have negative effects. The impact of BDSM-themed pornography for education, especially in adolescents and young people, is discussed, as are directions for more in-depth investigations of this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In commercial BDSM sessions, the problems of feminized labor, the myth of modern subjectivity, and the contested status of the sex worker as variably subject or object become the frameworks for erotic play. These problems, which circle around fantasies of objectification and subjectification, are never resolved. Rather, they conflict with one another, and it is the tension engendered through this conflict that invests the session with its erotic charge. Through an ethnographic discussion of three professional dominatrixes and their clients, this article asks how transgressive investments in sociohistorical fantasies of objectification as well as the ambivalence of psychosexual processes of objectification get enacted in BDSM sessions. When dominatrixes play with these fantasies, they leverage the ambivalences in both their own and their clients' drives for becoming subjects and becoming objects in order to play with--and even derive pleasure from--objectification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body image is a complex issue that affects individuals from all genders and sexual orientations. Within the queer community pup play is a BDSM-related activity where participants take on the role of a pup/dog, complete with barking, crawling, and other canine behaviors. In this research, we explored how identifying as a pup shapes the body image of gay, bisexual, queer, and trans (GBQT) men using a Deleuzian approach. The process of cellphilming included attendance of three online workshops and the creation of a short cellphilm about their body image. Seventeen participants across five groups completed the workshops and submitted a cellphilm. Data was analyzed through discourse analysis, and while our analysis includes workshop quotes and film excerpts, the true depth of the films, capturing elements like lighting and sound, goes beyond the transcribed words. Three overarching discursive considerations are reported: (i) reinforcing body standards for GBTQ men, (ii) capacity for changing feelings about bodies, and (iii) becoming a pup. Participants suggested that although the pup community is more accepting of diverse bodies, hegemonic body standards for GBTQ men still apply. However, participants also described how identifying as a pup and connecting with others in the pup community was a way to navigate body image tensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's digital culture, we face a new behavior that started on Twitter, a social media platform with a large user base. This study explores how users participate in the financial slave-themed Twitter discussions and the master-slave relationship network. Accordingly, the sample consisting of the Twitter account messages which seek to meet financial slaves and mistresses is examined using text and sentiment analysis. Within the scope of the study, 277,293 tweets related to financial slavery were collected between May 2020 and November 2021, and text/sentiment analysis were performed on findom (financial domination) tweets. The keywords used in the analysis were selected from the most tweeted concepts related to financial domination and slavery ("financial slave," #financialslave, #findom, #humanatm, #paypig, "financial domination"). The analysis of the discursive structures in the text/sentiment analysis results revealed that certain sentiments and emotions such as trust and joy were pre-requisite to establish online findom relationship. Female domination (femdom) related tweets were more prevalent in tweets while the edges between findom fetish and other kinks (foot fetish, bdsm, porn etc.) were somewhat blurred on Twitter. These show that there are vibrant user base and community on Twitter and the studies like ours are important to understand communicative dimension of financial domination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent wave of academic research has highlighted the wide-ranging and negative impacts that stigma against kink has on kinksters. As scholarship continues to explore prejudice and discrimination around kink, this article argues that fresh insight can be found by drawing on adjacent work around other stigmatized sexualities. Over the previous decades, scholars in sexuality studies and queer studies have developed a powerful conceptual framework of “phobias” and “normativities” for thinking about the marginalization of sexual differences. This framework has its origins in the concepts of homophobia, heteronormativity and homonormativity, but its naming conventions and analytical insights have since been extended to address reproduction, romantic love, monogamy, gender identity, etc. This article argues that this conceptual framework should be expanded once again, this time to encompass kink. Building on the nascent use of this conceptual framework within kink scholarship, this article defines and expands on the concepts of kinkphobia and vanilla-normativity, and introduces the new concept of kink-normativity. This article demonstrates how these concepts can help us better talk about and think through the marginalization of kink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BDSM is a range of diverse sexual practices. Stigma regarding BDSM is associated with dysfunctional personalities, insecure attachment styles, or damaged well-being. Previous studies have shown contrary evidence to these views. However, the replicability of these findings remains understudied. This study conducts a close replication to examine personality, attachment, rejection sensitivity, and well-being differences between BDSM practitioners and non-practitioners. To address previous limitations, this study provides a highly powered sample of a new population (Spanish, N = 1,907), assessing effect sizes and the impact of LGTBIQA+ individuals and employing an alternative BDSM role classification. Additionally, we examined attachment styles, personality, and well-being differences among BDSM practitioners. As predicted, BDSM practitioners showed higher levels of secure attachment, conscientiousness, openness, and well-being while also lower levels of insecure attachments, rejection sensitivity, neuroticism, and agreeableness, countering the stigma. Gender, sexual orientations, and experience with BDSM showed explanatory potential. The associations between attachment, personality, and well-being were consistent across both BDSM practitioners and non-practitioners, as well as across various BDSM roles. BDSM practitioners share the same psychological structure as non-practitioners but also show more functional profiles. Thus, de-stigmatizing BDSM populations is reinforced and recommended. Limitations and implications for applied and research audiences are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this theoretical paper the authors explore the connections between BDSM (i.e., practices involving bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, masochism) and CSA (childhood sexual abuse) in order to investigate the potential unconscious mechanisms at play and the therapeutic functions of BDSM practices among CSA victims. Drawing on the embodiment framework, the authors address how BDSM may serve as a form of unconscious repetition of traumatic experiences for certain CSA victims, with the aim of processing trauma and healing. A review of the empirical evidence regarding the links between BDSM and CSA trauma, along with the potential of BDSM to trigger trauma and elicit dissociation, guilt, or shame, is conducted. Finally, BDSM practices are reviewed through the concept of trauma-play, which involves deliberate rescripting. In short, the complex relationship between BDSM and CSA is highlighted, as well as its implications for understanding and potentially addressing trauma experiences in therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article presents a response to the harsh criticism expressed against E. L. James’s Fifty Shades. Accusations have been made from many sides that it encourages gender-based violence within a romantic relationship, unjustly stereotyping the female character Anastasia (Ana) as a battered, submissive, weak woman and a “sex slave.” However, as this thorough analysis will argue, Anastasia does not fit the profile of a victim of gender-based violence. Rather, she embodies the traits of an empowered woman. From this viewpoint, it is unfair to consider Fifty Shades as promoting violence against women.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to obtain information about the sexual behaviors, sexual functioning of "bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, sadism, masochism" (BDSM) practitioners. Methods: The study group (n=141) consisted of 65 women and 76 men who defined themselves as BDSM practitioners included in the study with the snowball technique through websites that are accessible on online BDSM groups. A control group (n=167) who stated that they were not BDSM practitioners was also recruited through websites. Sociodemographic and Sexual Behavior Evaluation Form and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) were used online to gather data. Results: No significant difference was found between BDSM practitioners and controls with regard to ASEX scores. Yet, in women, the mean ASEX score was lower in BDSM practitioners than in the control group whereas in men, the mean ASEX score was higher in the BDSM practitioners. Conclusion: Gender might be an important factor in terms of sexual functioning in cisgender BDSM practitioners. Awareness on problems of this sexual minority should be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bondage/discipline, Dominance/submission, and Sadism/Masochism (BDSM) have gained increased attention and discussion in recent years. This prevalence is accompanied by a shift in perceptions of BDSM, including the declassification of sadomasochism as a paraphilic disorder. Evolutionary psychology offers a unique perspective of why some individuals are interested in BDSM and why some prefer certain elements of BDSM over others (e.g., dominance versus submission). In this paper, we examine BDSM from an evolutionary standpoint, examining biopsychosocial factors that underlie the BDSM interests and practice. We articulate this perspective via an exploration of: proximate processes, such as the role of childhood experiences, sexual conditioning, and physiological factors; as well as ultimate explanations for power play and pain play dimensions of BDSM, highlighting the potential adaptive advantages of each. While BDSM may not be adaptive in itself, we examine the literature of sex differences in BDSM role preferences and argue that these preferences may stem from the extreme forms of behaviors which enhance reproductive success. In the realm of pain play, we explore the intersection of pain and pleasure from both physiological and psychological perspectives, highlighting the crucial role of psychological and play partner factors in modulating the experience of pain. Finally, we encourage future research in social sciences to utilize evolutionary frameworks to further explore the subject and help alleviate the mystification surrounding BDSM. This multifaceted exploration of BDSM provides valuable insights for clinicians, kink-identified individuals, and scholars seeking to understand the evolutionary perspectives of human sexual behavior and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BDSM is a type of sexual preference that includes bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism. Research has identified three specific power exchange roles in the practice of BDSM: dominance, submission, and switch. It has also been suggested that attachment style potentially influences BDSM interests. This study investigated the potential roles of attachment style in driving BDSM identity. A questionnaire was completed by a cross-sectional Chinese sample (n = 3310, age range 18–30 years), including 1856 BDSM practitioners (436 men, 1420 women). To assess attachment style, the questionnaire included a Chinese translation of the Adult Attachment Scale as well as items surveying BDSM interests. Compared to non-BDSM practitioners, attachment styles were not significantly different from BDSM practitioners. However, practitioners with different BDSM identities showed a significant difference in their attachment styles. Secure and avoidant attachment styles were associated with dominance, whereas submissiveness recorded high average scores of separation anxiety in both males and females. BDSM identities based on gender revealed that 60.5% of female practitioners assumed the role of submissiveness and this group recorded the highest average scores of separation anxiety among all groups. These results show that BDSM identity is related to attachment style. However, the results did not support the hypothesis that attachment styles potentially drive BDSM identities. Further research is needed to explore other psychological processes that drive BDSM identities in order to provide guidance for BDSM practitioners in choosing suitable identities, thereby helping practitioners to choose suitable identity partners and avoid negative experiences during BDSM participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BDSM constitutes a stigmatized form of sexuality in which sexual fluidity may arise. Noting the scarcity of research on these themes in Portugal, we sought to explore and understand sexual fluidity in people who identified themselves as BDSM practitioners, both in the context of so-called 'vanilla' sex and BDSM practice. Using a qualitative methodology, we prepared an online questionnaire disseminated on platforms used by BDSM practitioners, having obtained 54 participants. The data were subjected to content analysis and simple statistical analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis: the importance of gender in both forms of sexuality, the perception and knowledge about sexual fluidity, and the experience of sexual fluidity. It was found that BDSM practitioners are relatively sexually fluid and demonstrate various sexual behaviors discordant with their romantic and sexual attractions. In addition to this, there were multiple justifications regarding the importance of gender when it comes to their attractions. It was also found that men, regardless of sexual identity, are more sexually fluid than women. This study contributes to the knowledge about BDSM and the deconstruction of categories related to gender and sexual identity, and finally, to the normalization of non-normative sexual practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increased media exposure, bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism (BDSM) is a stigmatised subculture and this stigmatisation can have serious social and legal implications for practitioners even when the participation is consensual. Psycho-medical narratives have constructed practitioners of BDSM as perverse and pathological, and in opposition to heteronormative sexual expression. To reduce stigma, it appears that a process of normalisation is occurring with the aim of increasing broader acceptance and therefore reducing the transgressive nature of BDSM. This, however, is not unproblematic and may privilege certain types of BDSM while further marginalising others. Nine practitioners of consensual BDSM participated in in-depth, face to face interviews in the UK. Interviews were conducted within an interpretive phenomenological framework that focused on the lived experience of participating in consensual BDSM. The findings presented in this article relate specifically to lived experiences of transgression as a key element of BDSM and will be discussed with reference to the ways transgression can challenge narratives of acceptance via normalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPuppy play is a kink activity, in which people dress as, take on the role of, and mimic the physical and emotional behaviours of young canines or pups. We explore how the pup identity, depicted in cellphilms by queer men who are part of the pup community, influences men’s body image perceptions using multimodal critical discourse analysis. Participants expressed feelings of dissonance, shame, and self-rejection when viewing themselves as humans, but conveyed excitement, pleasure, and self-celebration when viewing themselves as pups. Participants depicted their body images being transformed by way of puppy gear, puppy spaces, handlers, and playmates, which was said to foster more (self-)acceptance, playfulness, and freedom. This study highlights the potential for puppy play to provide a transformative experience for individuals, allowing participants to explore, re-signify, and embrace their bodies as pups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contributing to the field of the geographies of digital sexualities, this article explores the geosocial dimensions of digital sexual cultures by analyzing three regionally operating, linguistically specific social media platforms devoted to sexual expression. Drawing on case studies of an Estonian platform used primarily for group sex, a Swedish platform for kink and BDSM, and a Finnish platform for nude self-expression, we ask how these contribute to and shape sexual geographies in digital and physical registers. First, we focus on the platforms as tools for digital wayfinding and hooking up. Second, we consider how the platforms help to reimagine and sexualize physical locations as ones of play, and how this transforms the ways of inhabiting such spaces. Third, we analyze how the platforms operate as sexual places in their own right, designed to accommodate certain forms of display, relating, and belonging. We argue, in particular, that these platforms shape how users imagine and engage with location by negotiating notions of proximity and distance, risk and safety, making space for sexual sociability. We approach geographies of sexuality both through the regional and linguistic boundaries within which these platforms operate, as well as through our participants' sense of comfort and investment in local spaces of sexual play. As sexual content is increasingly pushed out of large, U.S.-owned social media platforms, we argue that locally operating platforms provide a critical counterpoint, allowing for a vital re-platforming of sex on a regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BDSM practitioners represent a large sexual minority group often overlooked, misunderstood, and unnecessarily pathologized by mental health clinicians. Although developing cultural competence for diverse and marginalized populations is widely understood to be a core component of delivering efficacious therapeutic services that can counteract these stigmatizing mental healthcare experiences, no measures currently exist that assess clinicians' self-reported competence to work with BDSM practitioners. Previous measurement work has been done to establish self-report competency scales for clinicians working with other sexual and gender minority groups, but no such scales exist for working with BDSM practitioners. In the current study, we adapted a version of the Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS) to measure clinicians' self-reported competence to work with BDSM practitioners and did a preliminary exploratory factor analysis of the new scale (n = 124). After an initial 24-item administration, principal axis factoring of our final 17-item solution revealed two latent factors (attitudes and skills/knowledge) consistent with the 2013 SOCCS and the theoretical constructs of cultural competency. The BDSM Counselor Competency Scale (BDSM-CCS) can help clinicians, practices, agencies, and training programs track self-reported cultural competence with the BDSM population. Future research directions for scale development and clinical and training applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BDSM practitioners typically report higher sexual satisfaction than the general population (Botta et al., 2019; Joyal & Carpentier, 2017; Strizzi et al., 2022). One possible reason for this is that the BDSM community prioritizes open communication and challenges traditional sexual scripts. In a sample of 376 individuals, we found a positive association between BDSM participation and sexual satisfaction which was fully mediated by direct communication about sex. These results build upon previous literature that emphasizes the vital role of communication in sexual satisfaction, broadening this result to a more sexually diverse population. In addition, the frameworks used by BDSM communities could inspire the use of similar strategies to improve communication and sexual satisfaction in non-BDSM populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to explore BDSM involvement and its effects on mental health. The study had four objectives: (1) quantify frequencies of BDSM self-labels, (2) describe patterns of BDSM involvement subtypes (i.e. fantasy, behaviour, and identity), (3) compare BDSM-related involvement among two samples: members of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) and a non-NCSF sample of adults interested in or practicing BDSM, and (4) understand whether BDSM identity specialty interest group membership is associated with enhanced health (i.e. coping). Data were drawn from archival survey data on sexuality and health. Participants (N = 1036) completed BDSM identity and behaviour measures. The most common BDSM identities were 'dominant' and 'submissive'. NCSF members adopted BDSM identity labels more frequently compared to general adult BDSM practitioners. Dominant and submissive fantasy and behaviour varied by gender, sexual orientation, and relationship status. For example, cisgender men reported elevated patterns of dominant and lowered submissive BDSM involvement. Compared to non-NCSF members, NCSF members reported higher dominant and submissive fantasies and behaviours, and better mental health and emotion regulation. Finally, submissive fantasy involvement displayed statistically significant, but weak, positive associations with psychological health. Potential implications for public health practice, theory development, and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this narrative review is to integrate the published literature on mental health provider bias against less recognized groups who may be marginalized due to their sexual identities or sexual and relationship practices. These include asexual-identified individuals, individuals who practice consensual non-monogamy (CNM), and those who engage in sexual practices that include bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism. We situate these findings regarding provider bias within broader themes emerging from the literature on affirmative mental health care provision for members of these sexually stigmatized groups. We identified the relevant literature by searching PsycINFO, as well as Google Scholar, given the novel topic areas. We summarize and evaluate published articles and then present our analysis of the broader themes, strengths, and limitations that emerged among these three developing literatures. Finally, we discuss implications for future research and clinical practice to aid clinicians who wish to minimize bias against these relatively understudied groups. These recommendations are summarized as follows: avoiding normative assumptions, countering pathologization, and taking responsibility for training. This paper describes current research on bias among mental health providers against asexual clients, as well as clients who practice consensual non-monogamy or kink. Clinicians are encouraged to avoid assumptions and seek out to training to address their own biases about clients with these identities and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals in the kink community often report difficulty with finding affirming mental health care. Similarly, providers often report having limited knowledge of how best to support sexual diversity. This study highlights difficulties faced by kink individuals seeking clinical care and how providers can be more affirming. The current study utilized Delphi methodology to elucidate what clients with kink identities need from clinicians and the therapeutic environment. The study consisted of perspectives from 12 leaders in the kink community from across the United States. The culmination of their input is outlined and organized into five themes: Client Needs, Awareness and Understanding, Kink Client's Perceptions of Therapists, Therapist Education & Training, and Client's Perceptions of Therapy. These themes guide recommendations for practice that may be utilized in clinical training and guide clinical self-reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual consent has received increased attention in mainstream media, educational, and political settings since the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017. However, long before #MeToo, sexual consent has been a core practice among people who engage in Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism, and Masochism (BDSM). This study examined sexual consent norms among a sexually diverse sample, including people who practice BDSM (n = 116), people who identify with another sexual minority group, such as swingers and sex workers (n = 114), and people who did not identify with a sexual minority group, termed sexual majority group members (n = 158). Explicit consent for both BDSM- and non-BDSM-related activities was rated as more common (descriptively normative) among people who were a member of the BDSM community compared to majority participants. Further, BDSM participants rated consent discussions as less sexually disruptive compared to majority participants. We found no significant group differences in the extent to which people thought sexual consent should be discussed. We also discuss findings from an open-ended question asking participants to recall a recent sexual experience with a new partner. This study demonstrates variability in consent norms between groups and points to the potential to shift sexual consent behaviors among majority participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research tends to focus on the sexual and/or erotic aspects of consensual BDSM participation, there are many non-erotic and nonsexual beneficial outcomes arising from participating in BDSM. This research aims to elucidate those other meaningful aspects of BDSM that reach beyond the sexual in order to highlight their salience for BDSM practitioners and to ensure that these non-erotic aspects of BDSM participation are not overlooked. Eleven regular practitioners of consensual BDSM took part in customized in-depth, face to face interviews conducted within an interpretive phenomenological perspective that focused on the lived experiences of consensual BDSM. The template analysis method was used to analyse the data. Findings illustrated that various non-erotic and non-sexual aspects of BDSM are important to practitioners. These elements are necessary and significant to participants' lived experiences of BDSM and will be discussed in this paper in terms of transformative experiences and demonstrate that BDSM should be studied from a holistic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on different theories in media research (3AM, catalyst model of violent crime, reinforcing spirals model), we further explore the relationship between pornography use, sexual fantasy, and behavior. We suggest that pornography use appears so persistent across time and culture because it is related to a human universal, the ability to fantasize. Consequently, pornography use seems to be an opportunity to acquire media-mediated sexual fantasies, and we believe that pornography use interacts with sexual fantasies and, to a much weaker extent, with sexual behavior. To assess our assumptions, we conducted a network analysis with a large and diverse sample of N = 1338 hetero- and bisexual participants from Germany. Analyses were done separately for men and women. Our network analysis clustered parts of the psychological processes around the interaction of sexual fantasies, pornography use, and behavior into communities of especially strong interacting items. We detected meaningful communities (orgasm-centered intercourse, BDSM) consisting of sexual fantasies and behavior, with some containing pornography. However, pornography use was not part of communities we perceive to account for mainstream/everyday sexuality. Instead, our results show that non-mainstream behavior (e.g., BDSM) is affected by pornography use. Our study highlights the interaction between sexual fantasies, sexual behavior, and (parts of) pornography use. It advocates for a more interactionist view of human sexuality and media use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the case of a woman in her thirties who suffered an esophageal rupture while participating in extreme sadomasochistic practices. After herself seeking help in a hospital for complaints alleged to be from a fall, she was initially diagnosed with several broken ribs and a pneumothorax. The cause of the pneumothorax was later discovered to be an esophageal rupture. When confronted with this atypical injury for a fall, the woman admitted to have accidentally swallowed an inflatable gag, which her partner had afterwards inflated. In addition to the esophageal rupture, the patient also had numerous other externally visible injuries of various ages, reportedly also from sadomasochistic acts. Although an in-depth police investigation was conducted and a "slave contract" was found, the woman's consent to the extreme sexual practices performed by her life partner could not be substantiated conclusively. The man was convicted for intentional infliction of serious as well as dangerous bodily injury and sentenced to a long term in prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender and sexual minoritized (GSM) youth are more likely than their cisgender heterosexual peers to experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and practice bondage and discipline, domination and submission, sadism, and masochism (BDSM). Although IPV and BDSM are vastly different phenomena, superficial similarities (e.g., violent behaviors) can lead to misidentification in both practice and research. This study explores how GSM youth (a) experience and understand the differences between IPV and BDSM and (b) report consensual violent and controlling behaviors when answering items on IPV measures. Nine demographically diverse GSM youth (mean age 21.2) were drawn from a GSM youth-serving organization in the Northeast United States. Participants were interviewed about their experiences with IPV, BDSM, and consent. Participants also were asked to describe the process of completing two standardized measures of IPV. Interviews were coded using conventional and directed content analysis. Eight of nine participants reported IPV victimization, and seven reported BDSM interest or experiences. Four themes emerged: (a) GSM youth experience a spectrum of IPV victimization, often related to their gender and sexual identity; (b) interest in BDSM does not imply an acceptance of IPV; (c) GSM youth have a nuanced understanding of consent and strategies to communicate consent with their partners; and (d) Consent is the organizing framework by which GSM youth distinguish IPV from BDSM. Participants reported various degrees of certainty that they would include BDSM behaviors when answering questions about violent behaviors. Findings underscore the importance of conceptually and operationally differentiating IPV and BDSM. Programs that serve GSM youth should address IPV victimization, offer sex-positive education regarding healthy relationships and BDSM, and assist GSM youth in differentiating abusive behaviors from consensual BDSM. Standardized measures that do not conflate BDSM with IPV are crucial for studying IPV among GSM youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El siguiente trabajo busca entrecruzar algunos hallazgos de tres investigaciones antropológicas en Uruguay de las que he formado parte: una abordó las negociaciones sexuales y las estrategias que las mujeres ponen en práctica para gestionar las diferencias que se dan en los encuentros heterosexuales; otra, las significaciones y vivencias de lo erótico en practicantes de amor libre y de BDSM; la tercera los modelos de sexualidad y amor que se vienen construyendo y reafirmando desde iglesias neopentecostales en base a discursos antigénero. El propósito será construir un diálogo entre estas investigaciones para visualizar las distintas formas que adopta el erotismo en estos contextos, considerando las prácticas y discursos de diverses actores sociales. En particular, el interés estará puesto en identificar de qué forma el erotismo puede ser útil para cuestionar o reafirmar los modelos sexo-afectivos dominantes, caracterizados por el patriarcado, la heterosexualidad y la monogamia como sistemas, y el binarismo y la complementariedad sexo-genérica. Las voces de les distintes actores darán cuenta de cómo se encarnan, resisten, modifican, desmontan, reconstruyen o reafirman estos modelos sexo-afectivos a través de sus prácticas y discursos.

Resumo: O presente ensaio possui como objetivo analisar o sadomasoquismo, em sua polissemia; logo em um primeiro momento traçaremos diferentes tipos ideais do conceito, para na sequência apresentar como o sadomasoquismo, denominado erótico, chegou ao Brasil; nesse cenário tendo destaque os escritos de Wilma Azevedo e Glauco Mattoso. Nossa investigação é qualitativa, dialogando com um aporte teórico formado por autores como: Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, Jorge Leite Jr. Eliane Robert Moraes, Sarah Machado, Regina Facchini etc. A conclusão do presente trabalho mostra como o sadomasoquismo erótico não é algo exclusivamente brasileiro, mas uma apropriação e adaptação. Ao chegar aqui, com a roupagem de Mattoso e Azevedo, ele recebe elementos culturais próprios, que dialogam com nossa época e sociedade. Não é irrelevante, por exemplo, tal crítica existente em Mattoso aos elementos do campo psi da época; ou o fato do Brasil estar saindo de uma Ditadura Militar, em meados dos anos 80.

This paper aims to study one ramification of the Knights Templar modern mythology in which paranoid imagination intersects with the most sophisticated BDSM rituals. Since its dissolution at the beginning of the 14th century, the Order of the Temple has reappeared, through the ages, notably to fuel the development of conspiracy theories. In this monstrous bibliography, the work of American researcher Gershon Legman stands out by taking up the sexual accusations made against the order by the royal authorities during its famous trial in 1307. His focus on abjection points to the Templars as the true ancestors of the sexual heretics of the 20th and 21st centuries. As a proto-queer intellectual figure, Legman will inspire our comparative reading of two fictional scenes of Templar secret initiation. The comparison invites us to distance ourselves from traditional literary hierarchies. It also highlights the need of a reparative reading, as a complement to paranoid decipherment, in order to think not only of sexual violence but also of the resurgence of trauma within the queer counter-canon. From such a cultural anamnesis, we believe that a joyful literary exploration of the sexual byways becomes possible again.