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Annoucements, Incident Response, Incident Response Reports

2024 Incident Reporting & Response Report

By Susan Wright, Executive Director

The IRR Team assisted with 239 reports received by NCSF’s Incident Reporting & Response program in 2024. NCSF maintains the confidentiality of those who come to us for help, however we balance that with the need to report the services we are providing and to provide the community with a record of where the need is the greatest.

2024 Trends

  • Shadow-Banning: 6 groups, businesses and professionals reported shadow-banning and denial of services – loss of social media accounts, posts hidden, words censored, financial institutions shutting down accounts, etc.
  • Defamation: 15 reports – 8 people were accused of defamation for talking about a consent violation; 5 people reported they were defamed/slandered; 1 reported defamation of business; 1 reported being sued for defamation by a group.
  • Kink/CNM community organizer was accused in 14 of 69 (20%) of the Criminal reports compared to 19% in 2023 and 22% in 2022.
  • Stealthing/STI exposure: 9 reports of STI exposure and/or stealthing.
  • Choking: 5 reports of nonconsensual erotic choking.
  • Consensual adult age play was the issue in 3 of the 7 Child Custody Reports.
  • “Sexually Oriented Business” – 2 private membership clubs needed assistance dealing with SOB regulations that threatened to shut them down.
  • Personal Injury Attorneys – more people are requesting referrals to seek payouts for injuries and harm done during sexual assaults, requiring education about liability risks for individuals and groups.
  • Victim Advocates – more people are using resources to report sexual assaults/assaults to law enforcement or get Restraining Orders, including groups/clubs getting Orders of Protection.

Detailed Stats

Groups

94 groups, events and businesses requested assistance or a member requested assistance with their group, compared to 74 in 2023, 88 in 2022, 74 in 2021, 36 in 2020, and 75 in 2019:

  • 29 groups asked about attendees/presenters/organizers or reported they had banned someone
  • 17 groups asked for a consultation on their consent policies & procedures or training their Consent Response Team
  • 11 people were banned by a group (3 people made defamation accusations after a group banned them)
  • 5 people needed information and KAP attorneys for setting up an organization
  • 5 groups needed a KAP attorney for zoning issues
  • 5 groups needed assistance with DEI issues
  • 4 groups reported shadow-banning – loss of social media accounts, etc.
  • 4 groups asked about liability issues
  • 2 groups needed social media advice
  • 2 clubs needed assistance dealing with “sexually oriented business” regulations
  • 2 groups needed information about an equal opportunity issues with volunteers
  • 1 person questioned a group’s adherence to fiduciary duty
  • 1 group was threatened with being reported to the attorney general for organizational noncompliance
  • 1 group needed information in case they were raided by the police           
  • 1 group asked for assistance because their website was labeled as dangerous
  • 1 group needed a no trespassing order
  • 1 group needed assistance with local ordinance laws
  • 1 group asked about the legality of BDSM
  • 1 group needed insurance

Criminal

82 people made reports & requested assistance about legal issues compared to 96 in 2023, 75 in 2022, 71 in 2021, 40 in 2020 and 39 in 2019:

  • 69 reports came from people who were assaulted, sexually assaulted, injured, choked, blackmailed, stalked, harassed, threatened, revenge porn, kidnapped, stealthed, exposed to an STI, recorded without consent, safeword ignored, limits ignored, nonconsensual hypnosis, threatened with a gun, looking for a Domestic Violence shelter or applying for a restraining order. 14 out of 69 (20%) were about a kink/CNM community organizer, compared to 19% in 2023 and 22% in 2022.
  • 5 people requested resources and referrals for attorneys and resources to assist in defending themselves against allegations of sexual assault or assault
  • 2 people inquired about prostitution laws, FOSTA and kink
  • 2 reports were about public records for convictions of child sexual assault or sexual assault
  • 1 person reported they had violated consent and needed consent education
  • 1 defense attorney wanted a consultation on kink and consent
  • An expert witness needed information on serious bodily injury for a court case involving BDSM
  • 1 person reported that they have been accused of grooming people for their partner to commit consent violations

Civil

23 requests for assistance in civil legal issues compared to 23 in 2023, 18 in 2022, 11 in 2021, 16 in 2020, and 21 in 2019:

  • 15 reports involved defamation accusations: 8 accused of defamation for talking about a consent violation; 5 people reporting they were defamed/slandered; 1 reporting defamation of business; 1 person being sued for defamation by a group
  • 2 people reported they were fired (1 for being transgender & kinky)
  • 2 requests for referral for a tax professional
  • 1 request for a referral for a copyright attorney
  • 1 person reported discrimination by the Google Play Store when their app was refused
  • 1 report on financial discrimination – shadow-banned by banking institution
  • 1 person was looking for non-monogamy-friendly cities to move to

Outing & Doxing

18 groups or individuals reported being outed or doxed compared to 19 in 2023, 20 in 2022, 20 in 2021, and 4 in 2020:

  • 8 people reported they were outed (1 to their mother, 1 by FetLife and OnlyFans images)
  • 3 groups needed assistance with outing/doxing involving their members
  • 2 people threatened with outing to their job
  • 1 person was outed to their job and put on administrative leave
  • 1 person was recorded without consent and posted on OnlyFans
  • 1 person was accused of doxing/outing and harassment
  • 1 person was threatened with outing on FetLife
  • 1 person reported their FetLife photo was used in a negative media article

Professionals

15 requests from professionals about kink and nonmonogamy compared to 19 in 2023, 21 in 2022, 27 in 2021, 22 in 2020 and 32 in 2019:

  • 5 professionals needed info on consent and nonmonogamy/kink
  • 3 people needed a referral to a KAP therapist
  • 2 students asked us to broadcast their survey (neither met our criteria)
  • 1 person was looking for a KAP attorney to deal with immigration
  • 1 student needed information for a policy brief for their masters course
  • 1 person needed a professional to remove a hypnosis trigger
  • 1 professional sex educator needed a referral for an attorney about setting up their business
  • 1 professional inquired about possibility of filing a class action lawsuit against shadow-banning on social media platforms

Child Custody & Divorce

7 parents requested help with child custody issues:

  • 3 involved consensual adult age play
  • 2 involved divorce/child custody (1 kink and 1 infidelity issues)
  • 1 involved child’s guardian ad litem (kink issues)
  • 1 involved sex work, nonmonogamy and kink

NCSF assisted in educating the APA which published the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual DSM-5 in 2013 depathologizing consensual BDSM activities and resulting in a sharp drop in reports of child custody issues received by NCSF. The most reports NCSF received was in 2008 when 124 parents requested assistance with child custody issues due to their involvement in BDSM activities. In 2024, NCSF received 6 reports involving kink.