1. Kenner police heavy-handed
2. Kinkophobia Alert!
3. Sherwood's Forest: New Orleans, Louisianna
1. Kenner police heavy-handed
2. Kinkophobia Alert!
3. Sherwood's Forest: New Orleans, Louisianna
Kenner police heavy-handed
Editorial
Baton Rouge Advocate
October 20, 2003
Kenner Police Chief Nick Congemi recently helped thwart plans by a club of fetishists to hold its "Fetish in the Fall" conference in the city just outside New Orleans. Congemi sent letters to 15 local hotels and motels urging managers to turn down requests by event organizers to host the event.
We do not endorse sex conventions or sexual fetishism, but the right of adults in a free society to engage in legal activity cannot be infringed without compromising other fundamental rights, such as free speech and assembly. While members of a community have every right to protest against activities they consider immoral, public officials must be careful not to apply the law unequally.
"Borderline illegal" sounds a lot like "sort of pregnant." The planned activity of the fetish group was either lawful or not. The police are charged with enforcing the law, not moralizing.
Using the power of the office of police chief to tell hotels what kinds of patrons they may book or what kind of events they should and should not host is inappropriate unless laws are being broken. [cont.]
To read this editorial, go to:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/102003/opi_edi1001.shtml
To respond, write to: comments@theadvocate.com
Kinkophobia Alert!
by Tristan Taormino
Village Voice
October 17, 2002
Sometimes with progress comes hostility, as evidenced by two recent events. Black Rose, a Washington, D.C.-based s/m organization, planned to hold its annual national conference (which attracts thousands) at the Princess Royale hotel in Ocean City, Maryland (in previous years, it has been held elsewhere in the state). The contract had been signed; all the rooms in the hotel were booked. A few weeks ago, when details were leaked to the local media, there was a flood of public opposition as residents claimed the event would tarnish Ocean City's family-oriented image.
Less than a week later, police chief Nick Congemi of Kenner, Louisiana, wrote a letter to 15 area motels urging them to decline requests to host Fetish in the Fall, a new s/m event scheduled to run in conjunction with N'awlins in November (neworleansinnovember.com), an annual swingers conference. Although he refused to meet with organizers, Congemi called the event "borderline illegal and demeaning to women."
Susan Wright of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (ncsfreedom.org) estimates that there are close to 250 events like these held each year. I've been to my fair share, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Portland, Oregon, as both instructor and attendee. As the community grows, more of these events take over an entire hotel. When we share space with non-kinky folks, however, we respect them. Whether the hotel has been sold out or not, these are private, members-only functions that follow local laws and have tight security. Participants cannot gain admission to any of the venues without official event badges, and everyone has to present identification and sign waiver forms when they register. It's not a matter of "regular" people being "subjected" to seeing things they don't want to. [cont.]
To read this article, go to:
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0343/taormino.php
To respond, go to: http://www.villagevoice.com/aboutus/contact.php
Sherwood's Forest: New Orleans, Louisianna
By Wally Sherwood
Ambush Magazine
October 21, 2003
The welcome mat is out no longer for Gay tourists in parts of Louisiana and Maryland. In the name of protecting "Christian family values," two leather conferences have been yanked, including the "Fetish in the Fall" festival on Nov. 20-23 in Kenner and the Black Rose convention on Nov. 14-16 in Ocean Park.
The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, a Maryland organization with more than 10,000 members, also condemned Congemi for exerting a form of "persecution." Furthermore, the chief's grand standing has the smell of dirty politics. He is planning to run for Mayor of Kenner, a seat being vacated by none other than his brother, Louis Congemi, who has been elected to the Jefferson Parish Council. Is that perfect timing, or what?
MARYLAND IS NO ROSE GARDEN: And, unfortunately, it was much the same story when Black Rose discovered that Maryland was not so merry for Gays. Worried about the resort's family image, church, community and businesses claimed victory for forcing the Washington-based group out of town, although the club has been meeting there for six years without incident.
LOUISIANA LEADERS LASH BACK: One Louisiana activist describes the much misunderstood fetish scene as, "Our members support the right of consenting adults to express their sexuality in private, free from constraints imposed by public officials who use public office to impose their personal likes and dislikes upon others. 'Fetish in the Fall' was to operate within all the boundaries of the law, and the fact that they contacted the police in advance is evidence of that intent on their part." [cont.]
To read this article, go to:
http://www.ambushmag.com/is2103/
To respond, write to: webmaster@ambushmag.com
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