Transgressive and Transformative Gendered Sexual Practices and White Privileges: The Case of the Dyke/Trans BDSM Communities

Bauer, Robin

doi:10.1353/wsq.0.0100

“…The genderqueer and transgender participants in this study noted that kink identity had important intersections with their gender identity: For some participants, the development of their kink identity facilitated the development of their gender identity, while others temporarily stepped away from the development of their kink identity to more fully explore their gender identity. The intersection of gender identity and kink sexuality has been noted by a number of studies (Sprott & Hadcock, 2017;Simula, 2012;Bauer, 2007Bauer, , 2008, highlighting that kink interests, behaviors, and community spaces often facilitate the exploration of gender, or can subvert traditional gender roles and the importance of gender in sexuality. Simula, in her study of bisexuality and kink, noted that in the context of kink, there is a "strikingly complex relationship between BDSM bisexuality and patterns of doing, redoing, and undoing gender" (Simula 2012, p. 501).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Structure of Kink Identity: Four Key Themes Within a World of Complexity

Vivid

¹

,

Lev

²

,

Sprott

³

2020

JPS

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What is the structure of kink identity? Using a thematic analysis design, our study explored this question through 70 in-person interviews with adults 18 years and older living in Northern California who identified as kinky. Four key themes of kink identity emerged from our analysis: sex, power, headspace, and community. Although there were great variety and diversity in how these four themes were characterized -- both as separate and overlapping themes, we were able to conceptually group these themes into seven discrete subthemes based on how our 70 participants narrativized their kink experiences during interviews: (1) intertwining of kink and sex; (2) intense physical sensations (SM); (3) sensual experiences (fetish); (4) eroticizing power differentials; (5) fluidity vs stability of power role in kink activities and relationships; (6) community connections; and (7) headspace or altered states of consciousness. That our thematic analysis developed into these seven subthemes suggests that kink identity is a multidimensional structure of complex and diverse aspects.

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“…Often the power exchange in kink relationships can take the form of explicit play with social categories of race, gender, or age (see Ortmann & Sprott, 2013). Among self-identified dyke/trans BDSM practitioners, Bauer (2008) discovered a comfort with age, gender, and sexuality role-play over race or class play. Participants cited their strong commitments to anti-racism and other critical perspectives.…”

Section: Queer Intimaciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Queer Intimacies: A New Paradigm for the Study of Relationship Diversity

Hammack

¹

,

Frost

²

,

Hughes

³

2018

The Journal of Sex Research

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Recognition of sexual and gender diversity in the 21st century challenges normative assumptions of intimacy that privilege heterosexual monogamy and the biological family unit, presume binary cisgender identities, essentialize binary sexual identities, and view sexual or romantic desire as necessary. We propose a queer paradigm to study relationship diversity grounded in seven axioms: intimacy may occur (1) within relationships featuring any combination of cisgender, transgender, or nonbinary identities; (2) with people of multiple gender identities across the life course; (3) in multiple relationships simultaneously with consent; (4) within relationships characterized by consensual asymmetry, power exchange, or role-play; (5) in the absence or limited experience of sexual or romantic desire; (6) in the context of a chosen rather than biological family; and (7) in other possible forms yet unknown. We review research on queer relational forms, including same-sex relationships; relationships in which one or more partners identify as transgender, gender nonbinary, bisexual, pansexual, sexually fluid, "mostly" straight, asexual, or aromantic; polyamory and other forms of consensual nonmonogamy; kink/fetish relationships; and chosen families. We argue that a queer paradigm shifts the dominant scientific conception of relationships away from the confines of normativity toward an embrace of diversity, fluidity, and possibility.

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“…The genderqueer and transgender participants in this study noted that kink identity had important intersections with their gender identity: For some participants, the development of their kink identity facilitated the development of their gender identity, while others temporarily stepped away from the development of their kink identity to more fully explore their gender identity. The intersection of gender identity and kink sexuality has been noted by a number of studies (Sprott & Hadcock, 2017;Simula, 2012;Bauer, 2007Bauer, , 2008, highlighting that kink interests, behaviors, and community spaces often facilitate the exploration of gender, or can subvert traditional gender roles and the importance of gender in sexuality. Simula, in her study of bisexuality and kink, noted that in the context of kink, there is a "strikingly complex relationship between BDSM bisexuality and patterns of doing, redoing, and undoing gender" (Simula 2012, p. 501).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%