by Tiro A few years ago, I was talking to a therapist who knew nothing about polyamory. (In fact, she seemed to know very little about most things and our sessions were more like a series of 45-minute lectures on alternative lifestyles—thanks, National Health Service!) I was attempting to explain …
Why I Started Perverts of Color by Jaki Griot When I began attending local kinky event around 2006, I was often one of the only Black faces in the dungeon. I knew I wanted to learn about rope and kinky power dynamics because I read every book I could …
by Russell J. Stambaugh, PhD, DST, CSSP Back in April, the New York Times printed a review of Mary Gaitskill’s new book, “Somebody with a Little Hammer: Essays”. Those of you who have been paying close attention know that Gaitskill is the gifted author of the short story that became …
By Lucia Caltabiano The holidays are a unique for many folks. It’s time for families, friends, gifts, and parties. For trans folk this can be the case or it can be complicated, bitter sweet, or entirely the opposite. Trans folk have a vast continuum of experiences and views. Just like …
by Race Bannon A friend of mine, Stormy Styles, related strongly to a recent post she saw on Facebook. She copied and edited the text a bit to add some of her own thoughts, then posted it to her Facebook timeline. The reaction was remarkable. The post was quickly shared …
By Benjamin Schenker When using dating apps, I’ve often seen a question to the effect of “Would other people be shocked by something you own?” Personally, I don’t know, but I am sure that I have some things that I’d rather people not see that I own. In general, my …
by Nicole Guappone I first started seeing my therapist nearly three years ago. I wanted someone LGBTQIA+ friendly, sex-positive, and poly-aware. Kink was not a big part of my life yet. Still, the intake coordinator matched me with someone based on my requests and I’ve been with her ever since. …
by Liz Harrison Finding people who are “kink aware” to deal with personal problems is often difficult, but there are resources out there – like the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom‘s “Kink Aware Professionals” Directory. I’m listed there, which has lead to some interesting situations for me. Life Coaches …
by Desmond Ravenstone Last weekend, I flew out of town to attend a conference where the annual meeting of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom was being held, having been invited to co-present on sex workers’ rights for the Coalition’s leaders. I took just a small backpack crammed with clothes, …
By Nathalie Rupert The ubiquitous fantasy that you meet a dark, mysterious stranger who makes you do things you find sexy but you never really dared to do before has become very popular in the past few years, almost mainstream, you could say. This fantasy has a number of variants, …
