NCSF conducts community-based research that assists in our advocacy efforts.
Take our surveys
NCSF’s Narrative Project – Everyone has a story. What’s yours? We want to hear from you if you’ve been discriminated against because you are kinky or non-monogamous. We want to hear from you if you’ve been outed or if you’ve outed yourself as kinky, a fetishist, a cross-dresser, a leatherman or leatherwoman or that you’re in a polyamorous or Lifestyle relationship. We want to hear if your consent has been violated or if you’ve been sexually assaulted in a BDSM or non-monogamous encounter.
Surveys
Service Professionals Survey (2024)
Academic Publications
NCSF research has formed the basis for the following peer reviewed articles and poster presentations:
Wright, S. (2025). Remembering Russell J. Stambaugh: A Pioneering Professional in Sex Education and Sex Therapy. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2025.2501619
Kaniuka, A., Bowling, J., Wright, S., Dahl, A.A., Basinger, E.D., Benson, J.K., Stambaugh, R., & Cramer, R.J. (2023). Psychometric properties of the Brief Resilience Scale among alt-sex community members. The Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231188055
Dahl, A.A., Cramer, R.J., Gemberling, T., Wright, S., Wilsey, C.N., Bowling, J., & Golom, F.D. (2023) Exploring the Prevalence and Characteristics of Self-Labelled Identity, Coping, and Mental Health among BDSM-Practicing Adults in the United States, Psychology & Sexuality, DOI: 10.1080/19419899.2023.2203134
Bowling, J., Wright, S., Benson, J. K., McCabe, S., Mennicke, A., Willard, J., Kissler, N., Good, H., Moody, B., Stambaugh, R., & Cramer, R. J. (2022). Disclosing and Reporting of Consent Violations Among Kink Practitioners in the United States. Violence against women, 10778012221145299.
Bowling, J., Wright, S., Mesaeh, C., Benson, J. K., & Stambaugh, R. (2022, August 30). Ownership, Enjoyment, Arousal Troubles, and Robust Education: Pleasure in LGBTQ+ Alt-Sex Members’ Responses to Consent Violations. Sexes, 3(3), 434–444. https://doi.org/10.3390/sexes3030032
Wright, S., Bowling, J., McCabe, S., Benson, J. K., Stambaugh, R., & Cramer, R. J. (2022). Sexual Violence and Nonconsensual Experiences Among Alt-Sex Communities’ Members. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8862605211062999. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211062999
Ling, T. J., Geiger, C. J., Hauck, J. M., Daquila, S. M., Pattison, J. E., Wright, S., & Stambaugh, R. (2022, January 7). BDSM, Non-Monogamy, Consent, and Stigma Navigation: Narrative Experiences. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(2), 1075–1089. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02191-6
Romano, K. A., Heron, K. E., Wilsey, C. N., Wright, S., & Cramer, R. J. (2021, November 7). Person-Centered Clustering of mHealth Technology Perceptions and Usage Motivations, and Associations with Physical and Mental Health Correlates. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 7(2), 168–178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-021-00233-3
Bowling, J., Montanaro, E., Cramer, R. J., Mennicke, A., Wilsey, C. N., Kaniuka, A. R., Wright, S., Macchia, J. M., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., & Heron, K. E. (2021, September 6). Gender, sexual orientation, and mental health in the kink community: an application of coping self-efficacy theory. Psychology & Health, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.1973001
Kaniuka, A. R., Desmarais, S. L., Cramer, R. J., Stoner, J. E., Veri, S., Wright, S., Gemberling, T. M., Nobles, M. R., & Holley, S. R. (2021, February 15). Sexual violence victimization and suicide: Testing a coping‐mental health framework. Aggressive Behavior, 47(3), 343–353. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21955
Cramer, R. J., Wright, S., Wilsey, C. N., Kaniuka, A. R., Bowling, J., Crocker, T., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Montanaro, E., Mennicke, A., & Heron, K. E. (2020). Alternative sexuality, sexual orientation and mobile technology: Findings from the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom Technology and Health Enhancement Feasibility Study. Psychology & Sexuality, 13(2), 344–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2020.1777188
Cramer, R.J., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Kaniuka, A.R., Wilsey, C.N., Mennicke, A., Wright, S., Montanaro, E., Bowling, J., & Heron, K.E. Preferences in Information Processing, Marginalized Identity, and Non-monogamy: Understanding factors in Suicide-Related Behavior among Members of the Alternative Sexuality Community. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (May 2020). doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093233
Cramer, R. J., Johnson, K. L., Nobles, M. R., Holley, S. R., Desmarais, S. L., Gemberling, T. M., Wright, S., Wilsey, C. N., & Van Dorn, R. A. (2018, September 28). Lifetime Suicide-Related Behavior, Violent Victimization, and Behavioral Health Outcomes: Results from a Vulnerable Population Needs Assessment. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(11–12), 5860–5871. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518801941
Wright, S. (2018, May). De-Pathologization of Consensual BDSM. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 15(5), 622–624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.02.018
Nobles, M. R., Cramer, R. J., Zottola, S. A., Desmarais, S. L., Gemberling, T. M., Holley, S. R., & Wright, S. (2018, July 12). Prevalence rates, reporting, and psychosocial correlates of stalking victimization: results from a three-sample cross-sectional study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 53(11), 1253–1263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-018-1557-3
Cramer, R. J., Golom, F. D., Gemberling, T. M., Trost, K., Lewis, R., & Wright, S. (2017, December 22). Examining the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale Among Members of an Alternative Sexuality Special Interest Group. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47(4), 1251–1264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1120-4
Cramer, R. J., Wright, S., Long, M. M., Kapusta, N. D., Nobles, M. R., Gemberling, T. M., & Wechsler, H. J. (2018, March 30). On hate crime victimization: Rates, types, and links with suicide risk among sexual orientation minority special interest group members. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 19(4), 476–489. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2018.1451972
Williams, D J, Thomas, J. N., Prior, E. E., Wright, S., & Sprott, R. “Sex and pornography “addiction”: An official position statement of the Center for Positive Sexuality (CPS), National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF), and The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance (TASHRA). Journal of Positive Sexuality (March, 2017).
Cramer, R. J., Mandracchia, J., Gemberling, T. M., Holley, S. R., Wright, S., Moody, K., & Nobles, M. R. (2017). Can need for affect and sexuality differentiate suicide risk in three community samples? Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 36(8), 704–722. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2017.36.8.704.
Gemberling, T.M., Cramer R., Miller R.S. “BDSM as sexual orientation: A comparison to lesbian, gay, and bisexual sexuality.” Journal of Positive Sexuality (2015) 1:37-43.
Wright S. (2014). Kinky parents and child custody: the effect of the DSM-5 differentiation between the paraphilias and paraphilic disorders. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43(7), 1257–1258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0250-6
Wright, S. (2010) Depathologizing Consensual Sexual Sadism, Sexual Masochism, Transvestic Fetishism, and Fetishism. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(6), 1229–1230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-010-9651-y
Wright, S. Discrimination of SM-Identified Individuals. Journal of Homosexuality (2006) 50(2/3), 217-231. Co-published simultaneously in Peggy J. Kleinplatz and Charles Moser (Eds.), Sadomasochism: Powerful Pleasures, 217-231.
Academic Conferences
Zachary, T., Ratcliff, S., & Wright, S. (2025, Sept 24-27) Recent Trends in “Consensual” Sexual Choking. Society for Police and Criminal Psychology Conference. (Anaheim, CA).
Wright, S., Zachary, T., & Ratcliff, S. (2025, Aug 6-9) Service Professionals Survey Regarding Alt-Sex Practitioners. The American Psychological Association (APA) Conference. (Denver, CO).
Wright, S., Zachary, T., & Ratcliff, S. (2025, Aug 6-9) Service Professionals Survey Regarding Alt-Sex Practitioners. The American Psychological Association (APA) Conference. (Denver, CO)
Moxie, J. (2024, Aug 30-Sept 2) Needs and Experiences Related to Alt-Sex Among Health Professionals. The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association’s (GLMA) 42nd Annual Conference on LGBTQ+ Health. (Charolotte, N.C.)
Wright. S. (2022, November) Plenary: Community-based Research in Underserved Populations: Kink and Consensual Non-monogamy. The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. (Vancouver, B.C.)
Bowling, J., Wright, S., Benson, J.K., Stambaugh, R., & Cramer, R.J. (2022). Ownership, enjoyment, arousal troubles, & robust education: Pleasure in LGBTQ+ alt-sex members’ responses to consent violations. LGBTQ Research Symposium. (Virtual)
Benson, J.K., Bowling, J., Wright, S., & Cramer, R.J. (2021, November). “Taking back control”: Resilience in sexual violence among alt-sex practitioners. American Public Health Association (Denver, CO)
Gray, S. A., Gemberling, T. M., Wright, S., Cramer, R. J., Nobles, M. R., & Holley, S. R. (2021). The romantic functioning of B.D.S.M. (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadomasochism) practitioners: Equal to general population and university samples. Poster presented at the meeting for the Association for Psychological Science Conference. (Virtual)
Bowling, J., Montanaro, E., Mennicke, A., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Kaniuka, A., Wilsey, C., Heron, K., Wright, S. Cramer, R. (2020). Mono Versus Plurisexuality: An At-Risk Subgroup Among Kink Practitioners. Paper presented at the International Conference on LGBT+ Psychology and Related Fields. (Lisbon, Portugal)
Wright, S. and Stambaugh, R. (2019, August) Consent Standards in the Kink Communities A Comparative Study. Poster presented at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association. (Chicago, IL)
Macchia, J.M., Cramer, R.J., Wright, S., Gemberling, T.M., Nobles, M.R., & Holley, S.R. (2018). Minority Stress, Impulsivity, Coping & Weekly Alcohol/Substance Use among LGBQ+ Adults. Poster presented at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association. (San Francisco, CA)