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KINKY
How Kinksters Found Their Kinks
We Can't Get Enough Leather Dads: Folsom
Europe Photos
Portland's Kink Fest
Sam Brinton on Biden's Staff: Non-Binary Pup Handler
Huffington Post: Kink and Consent
US News: What's Wrong with 50 Shades of
Grey?
Jessica and Stevie: Guessing Kinky Terms
BDSM: Part of Radical Queer History
National Coalition
of Sexual Freedom
Photo Shoot: Leather Dads on Parade

Wikipedia: BDSM
The Uncomfortable Language of Kink
Video Tips: Types of BDSM Play for
Beginners
DotGay Dictionary: What is Kink?
Tabook: Cute Bondage Cartoon
Differences Between Kinks
and Fetishes
Sex Talk Realness: BDSM
YouTube Video: BDSM 101
Info: Cosplay/Furries

Kink Lifestyle
The Kink
(or Kinky) Lifestyle, often referred to as BDSM,
represents a variety of erotic practices involving
dominance and submission, role-playing, restraint, and
other interpersonal dynamics. BDSM practitioners
generally feel free to engage in erotic improvisation
and to act out sexual fantasies. Given the wide range of
practices, some of which may be engaged in by people who
don't consider themselves BDSM practitioners, inclusion
in the BDSM community and/or subculture is usually
dependent on self-identification and shared experience.
Interest in BDSM can range from one-time experimentation
to an active lifestyle. It is sometimes referred to as
kink sexual identity.
The term BDSM derives from combining the term B&D
(bondage and discipline) with S&M (sadomasochism or
sadism and masochism), or as a compound initialism from
B&D, D&S (dominance and submission), and S&M. Regardless
of its origin, BDSM is used as a catch-all phrase to
include a wide range of activities, forms of
interpersonal relationships, and distinct subcultures.

Revealing My Kinks
The Uncomfortable Language of Kink
How To Start Dom/Sub
Relationships, According To Experts
What is BDSM? Your Queer
Guide to Kink, Domination, Bondage, and
More
Naughty Words: BDSM
Quotes to Get You Going
Kinksters Who Found Their
Kinks
Huffington Post: Kink and Consent
Learning the Ropes in BDSM: Whips, Chains, Pleasure,
Pain
Kinky Bondage Toys
BDSM is
typically included under the sexual minorities umbrella
to include individuals with alternative sexual
expression. Researchers estimate that 5-10 percent of
the US population engages in BDSM activities for sexual
pleasure on at least an occasional basis. The BDSM
community is made up of a good mix of heterosexual and
homosexual practitioners. Here is a breakdown on the
sexual orientation of BDSM people:
--Heterosexual 41%
--Bisexual 35%
--Gay/Lesbian 22%
--Other 7%
BDSM communities generally welcome anyone with a
non-normative streak who likes to engage in kinky
activities and exotic forms of sex play (usually
referred to as fetishism) that might include such acts
as spanking, whipping, pinching, flogging, binding, and
more. Most activity centers on dominance and submission.
Sometimes you will hear activities good-naturedly
described as disciplining, punishing, or chastising. Incidents are mild or staged activities that involve no
real pain or violence. There is never an intent to
exploit, demean, abuse, or harm a participant.
The BDSM
community includes a variety of subcultures, including
individuals who engage with leather, rubber, and latex.
Others might engage with animal costumes (furries,
ponies).

Video Chat: Common BDSM Terms
Consensual Kink 101: Difference Between
BDSM and Abuse
National Coalition
of Sexual Freedom
Sexplanations: Bondage 101
Submissive: Yes, No, and Maybe List
BDSM For Beginners: What
You Need To Know
Sex Talk Realness: BDSM
Video Chat: Fetish and Kink
Tabook: Cute Bondage Cartoon
Do's and Dont's of Kinky Sex
Aftercare: BDSM Practice We Should Use
For Vanilla Sex Too
Video Advice: BDSM Play and Safety Tips
Info: Cosplay/Furries
BDSM
Activity: Whips and Chains
Since the popularity of the book, Fifty Shades of
Grey (by E.L. James, 2011), there has been an
increase in the number of people who are curious about
BDSM. This phenomenon has given rise to newcomers who
might not be aware of the cultural norms and protocols
that have been established in the BDSM community.
BDSM activities are between consenting adults and might
include such elements as tickling, teasing, spanking,
paddling, hair pulling, pinching, bondage, biting,
scratching, torture, punishment, begging, flogging,
whipping, slapping, hand cuffs, ropes, chains, wax
dripping, crossdressing, leather clothes, rubber or
latex clothes, hoods and masks, collaring, and
intricate role play. These activities, usually applied
mildly and lightheartedly, are intended for fun and
sexual exhilaration.
Sometimes
these activities are carried out in specialized venues
or dedicated kink zones called "dungeons." They are
generally equipped with assorted torture apparatus,
swings, shackles, stirrups, harnesses, yokes, racks,
cages, and other restraining devices to facilitate a
precisely calibrated, ritualized, or theatrical event.

Do's and Dont's of Kinky Sex
Dominant Guide
Sexplanations: Bondage 101
What is BDSM? Your Queer Guide to Kink,
Domination, Bondage, and More
How To Start Dom/Sub Relationships,
According To Experts
Biggest Fetish Street Fair in Europe
Kinksters Who Found Their Kinks
Alice Little: Flogging 101
BDSM: Part of Radical Queer History
BDSM
activity often centers on dominant and submissive play
(master/slave, top/bottom, boss/secretary,
teacher/student, owner/pet, handler/pup, bears/cubs). Dominant
practitioners might be called Daddy Doms or Mommy Doms.
Submissive practitioners might be called Babygirls or
Leatherboys. Sometimes BDSM involves regressive
activities in which a person acts like a baby and seeks
to be mothered (Age Play, Infantilism).
Sometimes BDSM
involves role play or costume play (Cosplay), in which
participants dress up like specific characters.
Sometimes BDSM involves dressing up and acting like
animals (Pet Play, Puppy Play, Cat Play, Pony Play) and as manifest in
the Furries Community and Furry Fandom subculture.
BDSM
participants in a scene are called "play partners."
A dominant play partner is called a "dom." A
submissive play partner is called a "sub." A
"brat" is a submissive who loves to playfully push
buttons and ‘break’ rules to deliberately provoke
attention from their dominant.
The BDSM community insists that activities should always
be safe, sane, and consensual. BDSM activities almost
always involve planned or structured experiences. They
can be staged or scripted scenes (sessions) or role
plays. Activities are said to be conducted in a
controlled environment. Oftentimes the activities are
negotiated and agreed upon in advance and committed to a
formal contract.

Learning the Ropes in BDSM: Whips, Chains, Pleasure,
Pain
Lifestyle Education & Community
National Coalition
of Sexual Freedom
Video Advice: BDSM Play and Safety Tips
Advocate: Photos of Kink
and Leather on the Streets of LA
DotGay Dictionary: What is Kink?
BDSM and Aftercare: How to Support the Tops and Doms in
Your Life
Sex Talk Realness: BDSM
Info: Cosplay/Furries
BDSM
practitioners derive a sense of exhilaration or euphoria
from kink activities. They would say that whips and
chains turn them on. The term "vincilagnia" describes
sexual arousal that results from bondage or similar
activities.
Sometimes
sessions might involve high-risk or "edgeplay"
activities. Typically, a "safe word" is utilized ("red"
is a popular word) as a signal to give participants a
chance to slow down or stop at any time during the
proceedings.
The BDSM umbrella also includes couples who engage in
swinging and polyamory.
BDSM clothing might utilize such fabrics as leather,
rubber, or latex.
The strong fashion influence of BDSM is evident in such
groups as motorcycle gangs, heavy metal, glam rock, goth, and punk.
The BDSM community mandates that activity should never
involve children. It should never cause permanent harm
or injury. It should never cross over into exploitation,
abuse, rape, incest, domestic violence, or any criminal
acts.

BDSM
Principles
SAFE | SANE | CONSENSUAL
In the BDSM community, safe, sane, and consensual (SSC)
are the three key words that represent the common
principles guiding relationships and activities. BDSM
activities should be:
Safe - Being responsible. Taking care of each other.
Being knowledgeable about safety concerns. Attempts
should be made to identify and prevent risks to health.
Don't be reckless. Minimizing dangers. Protecting
yourself and your partner from STDs and other hazards.
Sane - Activities should be undertaken in a sane and
sensible frame of mind. Establishing trust. Using good
judgment. Activities should be reserved for mentally and
emotionally healthy individuals. Knowing the difference
between fantasy and reality.
Consensual - All activities should involve the full
consent of all parties involved. Respecting limits and
honoring agreements. Observing rules and protocols. No
pressuring.
Revealing My Kinks
Differences Between Kinks and Fetishes
BDSM and Better Mental Health
Video Tips: Types of BDSM Play for Beginners
25 Facts About BDSM That You Won't Learn From 50 Shades
of Gray
Submissive: Yes, No, and Maybe List
Kinky Bondage Toys
Jessica and Stevie: Guessing Kinky Terms
Three Couples Try Bondage for the First Time
Video Chat: Meaning and Types of BDSM Collars
Kinksters Who Found Their Kinks
Tabook: Cute Bondage Cartoon

RACK and PRICK
Two
acronyms used by the BDSM community are RACK and
PRICK.
RACK -
Risk-Aware Consensual Kink. Risk-Aware, simply stated,
means that you are “aware of the risk.” You should be
able to name said risks and know how to prevent harm.
Consensual means that everyone is on board with what
you’re about to do or what you’re currently doing.
PRICK - Personal Responsibility, Informed, Consensual
Kink. Personal Responsibility means that all kinksters
should take personal responsibility for their actions.
Informed means (or implies) that you understand what is
about to happen (risks and all). Consensual means that
all participants have granted their permission.

BDSM Terms and
Definitions
Age Play - Usually referring to mommy/baby role play,
implying a nurturing relationship
Animal Play (Pet Play) - Acting like or dressing like an
animal (puppy, cat, pony)
Bondage - Acts involving the physical restraint of a
partner
Bottom - One who receives physical sensation from a top
in a scene... The one done-to rather than the doer
Brat - Submissive who loves to playfully push buttons
and ‘break’ rules to deliberately provoke attention from
their dominant
Collared - Submissive or slave who is owned in a loving
intimate relationship
Collaring - Formal acceptance by a dominant, of a
submissive's service, or the "ownership"
Consent - Mutual agreement to the terms of a scene or
ongoing BDSM relationship
Contract - Written agreement between the dominant and
submissive, outlining what structure, guidelines, rules
and boundaries to the relationship are agreed upon by
the participants

Wikipedia: BDSM
Sexplanations: Bondage 101
BDSM Submissive: Yes, No, and Maybe List
Video Chat: Common BDSM Terms
Revealing My Kinks
How To Start Dom/Sub Relationships,
According To Experts
Photo Shoot: Leather Dads on Parade
Learning the Ropes in BDSM: Whips, Chains, Pleasure,
Pain
Aftercare: BDSM Practice We Should Use
For Vanilla Sex Too
Dom (Dominant)
- Person who exercises control... Contrast with
submissive
Domme - Woman who exercises control (Dominatrix)
Fetish - Specific obsession or delight in one object or
experience
Furry - Acting like or dressing like an animal
Handler -
The trainer or dominant person in a pup play scenario
Impact
Play - Any activity where sensation is created across
the body by flogging, spanking or slapping
Masochism
- Act of receiving pain for sensual/sexual pleasure
Masochist - Person who enjoys pain, usually sexually
Munch - Meeting or get-together of a group of BDSM
people, usually in a "vanilla" setting in
street-appropriate attire
OTK - Over the knee... Refers to spanking or paddling
Play Partner - BDSM participant in a scene
Rope Bunny - Woman who enjoys being bound with rope for
sexual pleasure
Spanking - Erotic spanking of another person for the
sexual arousal or gratification of either or both
parties
Sadism - Act of inflicting pain
Sadist - Person who enjoys inflicting pain, usually
sexually
Safeword - Codeword a bottom can use to force BDSM
activity to stop
Sub (Submissive) - Person that gives up control
Switch - Person who alternates between "top" and
"bottom" roles
Top - Person "doing the action"... Contrast
with bottom, person receiving the action
Top Drop - Exhaustion experienced by a Dom after a scene
or session
Vanilla - Someone who is not into BDSM... Sexual behavior which does not encompass BDSM
activity... Sometimes a derogatory term to refer to
"straight" people
Vincilagnia - Sexual arousal derived from bondage

Lifestyle Education & Community
Jessica and Stevie: Guessing Kinky Terms
BDSM and Aftercare: How to Support the Tops and
Doms in Your Life
Family and Pride
in the BDSM Community
Alice Little: Flogging 101
BDSM: Part of Radical Queer History
What is BDSM? Your Queer Guide to Kink,
Domination, Bondage, and More
Photo Shoot: Leather Dads on Parade
Kinksters Who Found Their Kinks
Info: Cosplay/Furries
BDSM Contract
Kink
does not have to include sex.
Kink does not have to include orgasms.
Kink does not have to include pain.
Kink does not have to include power play.
Kink does not have to include toys.
As long as there is explicit and enthusiastic consent,
you
decide how to express your kink.
-Lifestyle Education & Community
BDSM practitioners utilize a "contract"
to ensure their activity and interaction
is consensual, safe, and sane. It is a written agreement between the dominant and
submissive. It can be formal, and is usually composed
after much negotiation by the dominant and the
submissive, outlining what structure, guidelines, rules
and boundaries to the relationship are agreed upon by
the participants.

Fetish Festivals
Popular US Fetish Festivals
Folsom Street Fair | San Francisco
Mates Leather Weekend | Provincetown
Pig Week | Fort Lauderdale
International Mr. Leather | Chicago
Up Your Alley | San Francisco
Folsom Street East | New York City
Popular European Fetish Festivals
Darkland | Antwerp, Belgium
Folsom Europe | Berlin, Germany
European Rigger & Model Exchange |
Berlin, Germany
Fetish Week | London, England
Sleazy Madrid | Madrid, Spain
BDSM For Beginners: What You Need
To Know
The Uncomfortable Language of Kink
Kinky Bondage Toys
Video Chat: Fetish and Kink
Tabook: Cute Bondage Cartoon
Huffington Post: Kink and Consent
US News: What's Wrong with 50 Shades of
Grey?
Differences Between Kinks
and Fetishes
Huffington Post: BDSM Articles
Video Chat: Meaning and Types of BDSM
Collars
Advocate:
Photos of Kink and Leather on the
Streets of L
Society of Janus
The Society of Janus is a San Francisco,
California based BDSM education and
support group, and is the second oldest
BDSM organization in the United States.
It was founded in August 1974 by the
late Cynthia Slater and Larry Olsen.
The Society of Janus is nonprofit,
volunteer run and is devoted to the art
of safe, consensual and non-exploitative
adult power exchange. They publish a
bimonthly newsletter called Growing
Pains and a monthly schedule of BDSM
events called Rapid Release which
are mailed to members.
In 2014, the Society of Janus held their
40th Anniversary Dinner, Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony & Play Party, which
was awarded "Best Organization
Anniversary Event" at The SF Leather
Community Awards for that year.
Society of
Janus
Leather Hall of Fame Inductee: Society
of Janus
Revolvy: Society of Janus

National Coalition of Sexual Freedom
The National Coalition for Sexual
Freedom (NCSF) is a sex-positive
advocacy and educational organization
founded in 1997 in the United States. It
claims to represent 50 coalition
partners and over 100 supporting
organizations. NSCF advocates on behalf
of adults involved in "alternative
lifestyles" with respect to sexuality
and relationship composition,
specifically for tolerance and
non-discrimination of those so
identified, as well as education for
adults involved in such lifestyles. The
organization's main office is in
Baltimore, Maryland, with members,
coalition partners, board, and
volunteers based across the United
States.
The NCSF's mission is: "The NCSF is
committed to creating a political, legal
and social environment in the US that
advances equal rights for consenting
adults who engage in alternative sexual
and relationship expressions. The NCSF
aims to advance the rights of, and
advocate for consenting adults in the
BDSM, Leather, Fetish, Swing, and
Polyamory communities. We pursue our
vision through direct services,
education, advocacy, and outreach, in
conjunction with our partners, to
directly benefit these communities."
National Coalition
of Sexual Freedom
NCSF Statement on Consent
NCSF Article: What Professionals Need to Know About BDSM
Kinky
Resources
VIDEO
Evie Lupine | BDSM, Sex, and
Alternative Lifestyles
Evie Lupine YouTube Channel
Madame Posh | BDSM and Kinky
Lifestyle Education
Madame Posh YouTube Channel
Morgan Thorne | BDSM Skills and
Tutorials
Morgan Thorne YouTube Channel
EDUCATION
National Coalition
of Sexual Freedom
Lifestyle Education &
Community
Society of
Janus
BOOKS
Fifty Shades of Grey | Book
Series by E.L. James (2011-12)
The Story of O | Book by Anne Desclos (1954)
Nine & Half Weeks | Book by
Elizabeth McNeill (1978)
Dezemberkind | Book by Leander Sukov (2004)
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
| Book Series by Anne Rice
(1983)
Gor Series | Gorian Novels by
John Norman (1966-13)
FILMS
Fifty Shades of Grey | US Film
starring Dakota Johnson & Jamie Dornan
The Secretary | US Film starring
James Spader & Maggie Gyllenhaal
Nine & Half Weeks | US Film
starring Kim Basinger & Mickey
Rourke
Quills | US Film starring
Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslett,
Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine
Preaching to the Perverted | British Film
The Piano Teacher | French Film
Wikipedia: BDSM
Sexplanations: Bondage 101
BDSM Submissive: Yes, No, and Maybe List
How To Start Dom/Sub Relationships,
According To Experts
Video Chat: Common BDSM Terms
What is BDSM? Your Queer Guide to Kink,
Domination, Bondage, and More
Revealing My Kinks
Photo Shoot: Leather Dads on Parade
Kinksters Who Found Their Kinks

BDSM: Part of Radical Queer History
Photo Shoot: Leather Dads on Parade
BDSM and Aftercare: How to Support the Tops and
Doms in Your Life
The Uncomfortable Language of Kink
BDSM For Beginners: What You Need To Know
Kinky Bondage Toys
Video Chat: Fetish and Kink
Tabook: Cute Bondage Cartoon
Huffington Post: Kink and Consent

Puppy Play
Pup Play (or Puppy Play) is when one
person takes on the role of a pup or
handler. The pup acts like their canine
counterpart and the trainer, for the
most part, handles the pup like he would
a biological puppy. For many it serves
as a release of the primal animal part
of them. Participants act like or dress
like puppies. Real animals are not
involved.
More specifically, "puppy play" is a
sexual practice where participants
role-play being puppies or handlers,
often within a dominance/submission
sexual context. It emerged out of (and
is still in large part related to) the
broader BDSM/leather community. More
specifically, puppy play is an activity
which takes place within the broad
category of dominant/submissive
interactions, the defining feature of
which is the relationship between one or
more “pups,” humans who take on the
persona and attributes of dogs for the
duration of the scene, and either a
“handler,” who remains human but takes
on the role of dog owner/dominant, or
with other “pups."
Pup/Puppy Play
Puppy Pride
Psychology of Puppy Play
Pup Play: Pushing for Self-Acceptance
Making Fetch Happen: Guide to Becoming a
Gay Pup

BDSM
Misconceptions
Myth: BDSM is mostly about the "dominant" partner
getting his/her way with a passive, exploited
"submissive"
Fact: BDSM community emphasizes the use of negotiation
and the creation of scripts. This view fails to
recognize that submissive individuals consent for
pleasure. It also fails to recognize the simple
metaphysics that 'fulfilling the masochists needs" is
central to finding and keeping the submissive partner.
Frequently one hears of Topping from the Bottom, where
the submissive partner manipulates the relationship,
while appearing passive, submissive and obedient.
Myth: BDSM is about physical pain
Fact: Kinky preferences are highly variable and not all
forms induce pain. Although pain can be involved, it is
in a sexual nature. Pain is experienced in the context
of love, trust, and arousal.
Myth: BDSM activities inevitably escalate to extremes
and/or become addictive
Fact: We see a "making up for lost time" phenomenon with
some individuals who are late in coming out. However,
this high level of activity usually levels off, though
this level may be "occasional" for some and "24/7" for
others.

Learning the Ropes in BDSM: Whips, Chains, Pleasure,
Pain
Differences Between Kinks and Fetishes
Jessica and Stevie: Guessing Kinky Terms
DotGay Dictionary: What is Kink?
Lifestyle Education & Community
Family and Pride
in the BDSM Community
Alice Little: Flogging 101
Myth: BDSM is self-destructive
Fact: This is simply inaccurate and not supported by any
evidence. Self-destructive behaviours are experienced no
more frequently by BDSM practitioners than the general
public. On that note, anything pleasurable is subject to
abuse and BDSM is no exception.
Myth: BDSM stems from childhood abuse
Fact: There is no evidence for this claim, and it has
been disproven by various research.
Myth: BDSM is an avoidance of intimacy
Fact: BDSM is no more or less prone to intimacy
amplification or aversion than more standard sexual
practices.
Myth: BDSM is separate from "vanilla" sex
Fact: For most practitioners, BDSM activities and
"regular" intercourse are often combined or intertwined
in one way or another.
US News: What's Wrong with 50 Shades of
Grey?
Aftercare: BDSM Practice
We Should Use For Vanilla Sex Too
Info: Cosplay/Furries
Huffington Post: BDSM Articles
Video Chat: Meaning and Types of BDSM
Collars
Advocate:
Photos of Kink and Leather on the
Streets of LA

Books on the
Subject
Domination & Submission: The BDSM Relationship
Handbook by Michael Makai
Different Loving: The World of Sexual Dominance
& Submission by Gloria Brame, John Jacobs,
William Brame
S&M 101 by Jay Wiseman
Master's Manual: Handbook of Erotic Dominance by
Jack Rinella
Erotic Slavehood by Christina Abernathy
Come Hither: Common Sense Guide to Kinky Sex by
Gloria Brame
Diary of a Submissive by Sophie Morgan
When Someone You Love is Kinky by Dossie Easton
Defense of Masochism by Anita Phillips
Radical Ecstasy by Dossie Easton
SM 101:
Realistic
Introduction
by Jay
Wiseman
What
Professionals
Need to
Know
About
BDSM
Video
Chat:
Meaning
and
Types of
BDSM
Collars
Kinksters
Who
Found
Their
Kinks
Ultimate
Guide to
Kink:
BDSM,
Role
Play,
Erotic
Edge by
Tristan
Taormino
50
Shades
of Kink:
Introduction
to BDSM
by
Tristan
Taormino
Video
Tips:
Types of
BDSM
Play for
Beginners
How To
Start
Dom/Sub
Relationships,
According
To
Experts
Sadomasochism:
Powerful
Pleasures
by Peggy
Kleinplatz
&
Charles
Moser
Video
Advice:
BDSM
Play and
Safety
Tips
Playing
Well
With
Others:
Field
Guide to
Kink,
Leather
& BDSM
Communities
by
Harrington
&
Williams
SM 101:
Realistic
Introduction
by Jay
Wiseman
What
Professionals
Need to
Know
About
BDSM

Leather
Subculture
The
leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress
organized around sexual activities that involve leather
garments, such as leather jackets, vests, boots, chaps,
harnesses, or other items. Wearing leather garments is
one way that participants in this culture
self-consciously distinguish themselves from mainstream
sexual cultures. Leather culture is most visible in gay
communities and most often associated with gay men
(enthusiasts are nicknamed "leathermen"), but it is also
reflected in various ways in the gay, lesbian, bisexual,
and straight worlds. Many people associate leather
culture with BDSM (Bondage/Discipline,
Dominance/Submission, Sado/Masochism, also called "SM"
or "S&M") practices and its many subcultures. But for
others, wearing black leather clothing is an erotic
fashion that expresses heightened masculinity or the
appropriation of sexual power; love of motorcycles,
motorcycle clubs and independence; and/or engagement in
sexual kink or leather fetishism.

Video
Chat:
Meaning
and
Types of
BDSM
Collars
Ultimate
Guide to
Kink:
BDSM,
Role
Play,
Erotic
Edge by
Tristan
Taormino
50
Shades
of Kink:
Introduction
to BDSM
by
Tristan
Taormino
Video
Tips:
Types of
BDSM
Play for
Beginners
Sadomasochism:
Powerful
Pleasures
by Peggy
Kleinplatz
&
Charles
Moser
Video
Advice:
BDSM
Play and
Safety
Tips
Playing
Well
With
Others:
Field
Guide to
Kink,
Leather
& BDSM
Communities
by
Harrington
&
Williams
Differences Between Kinks and Fetishes
Info: Cosplay/Furries
Gay male leather culture has existed since the late
1940s, when it likely grew out of post-WWII biker
culture. Early gay leather bars were subcultural
versions of the motorcycle club with pioneering gay
motorcycle clubs including the Satyrs, established in
Los Angeles in 1954. Oedipus, also established in Los
Angeles in 1958, and the New York Motorbike Club. Early
San Francisco clubs included the Warlocks and the
California Motor Club, while early clubs in Sydney
included the South Pacific Motor Club. Leather Clubs for
gay men started in Amsterdam and Berlin in the 1950s,
and in Sydney from 1970.
In 1964 an article on Life magazine with a significant
amount of prejudice, drew attention to the gay leather
community. The "Tool Box" bar in San Francisco was the
target of the prejudice, although not specified, it was
heavily speculated. The fourteen page article titled,
"Homosexuality in America" also brought leather
subculture to the attention of isolated and closeted
gays.

These gay clubs, like the clubs of straight motorcycle
culture in general, reflected a disaffection with the
mainstream culture of post-World War II America, a
disaffection whose notoriety — and therefore appeal —
expanded after the sensationalized news coverage of the
Hollister "riot" of 1947. The 1953 film The Wild One
starring Marlon Brando wearing jeans, a T-shirt, a
leather jacket, and Muir cap, played on pop-cultural
fascination with the Hollister "riot" and promoted an
image of masculine independence that resonated with some
gay men who were dissatisfied with a culture that
stereotyped gay men as effeminate. To that end, gay
motorcycle culture also reflected some men's
disaffection with the coexistent gay cultures more
organized around high culture, popular culture
(especially musical theater), and/or camp style. Perhaps
as a result, the leather community that emerged from the
motorcycle clubs also became the practical and symbolic
location for gay men's open exploration of kink and S&M.
Wikipedia: Leather Subculture
Differences Between Kinks and Fetishes
BDSM
Wiki: Leather Culture
Photo Shoot: Leather Dads on Parade
Wikipedia: Sexual Fetishism
Biggest Fetish Street Fair in Europe
Fetish
Information
Definitions
Sexual fetishism or erotic fetishism is a sexual focus
on a nonliving object or nongenital body part. The
object of interest is called the fetish. The person who
has a fetish for that object is a fetishist. A sexual
fetish may be regarded as a non-pathological aid to
sexual excitement, or as a mental disorder if it causes
significant psychosocial distress for the person or has
detrimental effects on important areas of their life.
Sexual arousal from a particular body part can be
further classified as partialism.

While medical definitions restrict the term sexual
fetishism to objects or body parts, fetish can also
refer to sexual interest in specific activities in
common discourse.
In common parlance, the word fetish is used to refer to
any sexually arousing stimuli, not all of which meet the
medical criteria for fetishism. This broader usage of
fetish covers parts or features of the body (including
obesity and body modifications), objects, situations and
activities (such as smoking or BDSM). Paraphilias such
as urophilia, necrophilia and coprophilia have been
described as fetishes.
Originally, most medical sources defined fetishism as a
sexual interest in non-living objects, body parts or
secretions. The publication of the DSM-III in 1980
changed that by excluding arousal from body parts in its
diagnostic criteria for fetishism. In 1987, a revised
edition of the DSM-III (DSM-III-R) introduced a new
diagnosis for body part arousal, called partialism. The
DSM-IV retained this distinction. Martin Kafka argued
that partialism should be merged into fetishism because
of overlap between the two conditions, and the DSM-5
subsequently did so in 2013. The ICD-10 definition is
still limited to non-living objects.
Types of Fetishisms
In a review of 48 cases of clinical fetishism, fetishes
included clothing (58.3%), rubber and rubber items
(22.9%), footwear (14.6%), body parts (14.6%), leather
(10.4%), and soft materials or fabrics (6.3%). A 2007
study counted members of Internet discussion groups with
the word "fetish" in their name. Of the groups about
body parts or features, 47% belonged to groups about
feet (foot fetishism), 9% about body fluids, 9% about
body size, 7% about hair (hair fetish), and 5% about
muscles (muscle worship). Less popular groups focused on
navels (navel fetishism), legs, body hair, mouth, and
nails, among other things. Of the groups about objects,
33% belonged to groups about clothes worn on the legs or
buttocks (such as stockings or skirts), 32% about
footwear (shoe fetishism), 12% about underwear
(underwear fetishism), and 9% about whole-body wear such
as jackets. Less popular object groups focused on
headwear, stethoscopes, wristwear, and diapers (diaper
fetishism).

Diagnosis
The ICD-10 defines fetishism as a reliance on non-living
objects for sexual arousal and satisfaction. It is only
considered a disorder when fetishistic activities are
the foremost source of sexual satisfaction, and become
so compelling or unacceptable as to cause distress or
interfere with normal sexual intercourse. The ICD's
research guidelines require that the preference persists
for at least six months, and is markedly distressing or
acted on.
Under the DSM-5, fetishism is sexual arousal from
nonliving objects or specific nongenital body parts,
excluding clothes used for cross-dressing (as that falls
under transvestic disorder) and sex toys that are
designed for genital stimulation. In order to be
diagnosed as fetishistic disorder, the arousal must
persist for at least six months and cause significant
psychosocial distress or impairment in important areas
of their life. In the DSM-IV, sexual interest in body
parts was distinguished from fetishism under the name
partialism (diagnosed as Paraphilia NOS), but it was
merged with fetishistic disorder for the DSM-5.
The ReviseF65 project has campaigned for the ICD
diagnosis to be abolished completely to avoid
stigmatizing fetishists. Sexologist Odd Reiersøl argues
that distress associated with fetishism is often caused
by shame, and that being subject to diagnosis only
exacerbates that. He suggests that, in cases where the
individual fails to control harmful behavior, they
instead be diagnosed with a personality or impulse
control disorder.

Treatment
According to the World Health Organization, fetishistic
fantasies are common and should only be treated as a
disorder when they impair normal functioning or cause
distress. Goals of treatment can include elimination of
criminal activity, reduction in reliance on the fetish
for sexual satisfaction, improving relationship skills,
or attempting to remove deviant arousal altogether. The
evidence for treatment efficacy is limited and largely
based on case studies, and no research on treatment for
female fetishists exists.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is one popular approach.
Cognitive behavioral therapists teach clients to
identify and avoid antecedents to fetishistic behavior,
and substitute non-fetishistic fantasies for ones
involving the fetish. Aversion therapy can reduce
fetishistic arousal in the short term, but is unlikely
to have any permanent effect.
Antiandrogens and selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs) may be prescribed to lower sex drive.
Cyproterone acetate is the most commonly used
antiandrogen, except in the United States, where it may
not be available. A large body of literature has shown
that it reduces general sexual fantasies. Side effects
may include osteoporosis, liver dysfunction, and
feminization. Case studies have found that the
antiandrogen medroxyprogesterone acetate is successful
in reducing sexual interest, but can have side effects
including osteoporosis, diabetes, deep vein thrombosis,
feminization, and weight gain. Some hospitals use
leuprolide acetate and goserelin acetate to reduce
libido, and while there is presently little evidence for
their efficacy, they have fewer side effects than other
antiandrogens. A number of studies support the use of
SSRIs, which may be preferable over antiandrogens
because of their relatively benign side effects. None of
these drugs cure sexual fetishism, but they can make it
easier to manage.
Relationship counselors may attempt to reduce dependence
on the fetish and improve partner communication using
techniques like sensate focusing. Partners may agree to
incorporate the fetish into their activities in a
controlled, time-limited manner, or set aside only
certain days to practice the fetishism. If the fetishist
cannot sustain an erection without the fetish object,
the therapist might recommend orgasmic reconditioning or
covert sensitization to increase arousal to normal
stimuli (although the evidence base for these techniques
is weak).
Other
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