Blacklisted: Boundaries, Violations, and Retaliatory Behavior in the BDSM Community

The Role of Consent in the Context of BDSM

“…Furthermore, consent was said to include an understanding by all participants of what activities were allowed versus not allowed to take place during the scene. BDSM practitioners in another qualitative study voiced similar sentiments and unanimously stressed the importance of freely given consent in the absence of coercion (Holt, 2016). In both studies, participants discussed an understanding that any party involved can rescind consent at any point, and that the withdrawal of consent necessitates the immediate cessation of play.…”

“…In the context of BDSM, participants ideally interact voluntarily with preestablished consent based on a mutual understanding of what activities are to take place (Pitagora, 2013). Consent represents an ongoing interactive and dynamic process that entails several precautionary measures, including negotiations of play, open communication of desires and boundaries, mutually defining terms, the notion of responsibility and transparency, and ensuring protection from harm through competence and skill (Holt, 2016).…”

“…A strong foundation of emotional closeness and trust, built on a history of positive BDSM experiences with the partner in question, often lessens the need for extensive negotiation. Likewise, light play involving minimal risk tends to warrant less negotiation than heavy play (Holt, 2016). The extent of negotiation also fluctuates depending on the context and can be influenced by the mood, temperament, and reputation of those involved (Pitagora, 2013).…”

“…If a BDSM scene endures after a participant has used a safeword and withdrawn consent, it becomes a nonconsensual act of violence (Pitagora, 2013;Taylor & Ussher, 2001). BDSM communities have been reported by members to strictly police dangerous practitioners and consent violators (Fulkerson, 2010;Holt, 2016). Graham and colleagues (2016) examined the role, meaning, and function of BDSM communities from the perspective of self-identified BDSM practitioners and found that one of the several functions those communities served was to provide functional resources, such as education, safety, and information about consent.…”

Pleasure, Community, and Marginalization in Rope Bondage: A Qualitative Investigation into a BDSM Subculture

“…Holt (2016) found that some BDSM community members said that they use retaliatory violence and threats of violence to punish consent violators. I did not find evidence of this kind of behaviour in my research or personal experiences.…”