If you’re White, keep reading! Don’t make the mistake of thinking these Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) BDSM resources don’t pertain to you. They absolutely do.
In the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black people, we, like so many Americans, have joined the effort to prevent such atrocities from occurring in the future. But the changes that need to occur in this country go far beyond ending police brutality. Every community needs to take a step back and reflect on what it can do to not only make space for BIPOC but ensure they are welcome participants and leaders. And the BDSM community is no exception.
As two White people, we can’t pretend to know what it’s like to join the BDSM community as BIPOC. But, we can acknowledge that racism exists within the community and do our part to educate ourselves and others about it and increase readers’ exposure to BIPOC who teach and write about BDSM. It’s in everyone’s best interest to learn about other people’s experiences and perspectives. To that end, we have begun to compile a list of BDSM resources related to BIPOC.
The list below has also been added to the BDSM Resources section of our blog. If you’re aware of additional BIPOC BDSM resources we should check out, please let us know in the comments! This list is only a starting point and is by no means exhaustive.
Perspectives from BIPOC
- 3 Reasons the Kink Scene is Hellish for Black, Disabled, Non-Cis Kinksters: Mickey Valentine highlights the problems that Black, disabled, agender kinky people face in the BDSM community.
- The Dark Side of BDSM: Addressing Racism in the BDSM Community as a Black Woman: In this video, dominatrix Lady Jade discusses the racism that Black people are constantly subjected to within the BDSM community, which is all too often ignored.
- Fifty Shades of Nope: Being Fetishized as a Person of Color in Kink: This article by Vianca Masucci addresses the negative influence of the Fifty Shades franchise on BDSM practitioners generally and people of color specifically. She recounts multiple anecdotes of being fetishized and stereotyped within the kink community.
- The History & Myths of Japanese Bondage: Midori dismantles the traditional Western story about the history of shibari, noting that “investing in a romantic but false narrative of a culture and its people is another form of “othering.”
- History of Black BDSM: This is a brief overview of the history of Black BDSM that includes links to other resources. This page is part of Dark Connections, a website devoted to Black BDSM.
- How Asian American Dominatrixes Use Stereotypes to Their Advantage in the Fetish World: This article by Tiffany Diane Tso explores how several NYC-based pro-dommes simultaneously buck and benefit from stereotypes about Asian women.
- The Issue With Being Black and Kinky: In this response to Luna Malbroux’s article (linked below), BDSM educator and male dominant Orpheus Black writes about the long history of conservative attitudes toward sex among many BIPOC and his own experience of being ostracized by family and friends when they discovered he was poly and kinky.
- Kinky: The Documentary: This funny and illuminating documentary about Black BDSM practitioners includes interviews with experienced Black kinksters as well as “people on the street” in New York.
- My Sexuality Has a Dark Side—And Maybe Yours Does Too: In this article by Black feminist kinkster Feminista Jones, she addresses the vulnerability of Black s-types in particular, noting that “With kink communities being so marginalized and Black kink communities being even more isolated, it becomes even more difficult to speak out against those who violate others.”
- A Portrait of a Black Woman in Kink: The subject of this profile is Sara Elise, a Black, queer, submissive woman who has grappled with the many complexities of race in the realm of BDSM.
- Queer Dominatrix Yin Q Is Shattering Asian Stereotypes: This interview with former pro domme Yin Q focuses on her efforts to normalize BDSM and upend Asian stereotypes in her web series Mercy Mistress, which is based on her own experiences.
- Tension with Intention: The Role of Kink/BDSM in the Anti-Racist Conversation: In this video, Shakti Bliss Bunny and YumYumPanda, two BIPOC kinksters who teach rope classes, discuss cultural appropriation and racism as they pertain to the rope scene in particular, which is widely considered to be one of the most privileged arenas of BDSM.
- When You Want to Be Into BDSM But It’s Too Soon Because You’re Black: Luna Malbroux recounts some of the problems she’s encountered as a Black woman exploring BDSM, including fetishization, stereotyping, and contending with the legacy of slavery.
- Yes, Master: The Complicated Life of a Black Woman Who Gets Off on Being a Sex Slave: Feminista Jones discusses the complexities of being a Black woman who identifies as a BDSM slave and the mental work she had to do to reconcile the two.
BIPOC BDSM Educators
- Eternal Angel: A pro domme and BDSM educator specializing in mental health in BDSM, edge play, and more. Her videos on Kink Academy focus on rough body play.
- Midori: Highly experienced sexuality and BDSM educator who teaches and writes on a range of topics, including female domination, rope, and humiliation. Author of The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage, among other books. We attended a rope class she taught a number of years ago that included a riveting demo that we still talk about today.
- Mollena Williams: Renowned BDSM educator, author, and slave who is a thought leader on race play and power exchange dynamics, among other things.
- Orpheus Black: Dominant specializing in knife play, flogging, and other aspects of BDSM, which are covered in his videos on Kink Academy. We attended a flogging class he taught at a convention, and it was by far the best class we went to there.
- Robin Wilson-Beattie: Disability and sexuality health educator with a number of videos on Kink Academy related to BDSM and disability.
- Shakti Bliss Bunny: Rope educator focusing on “centering Black kinsters in their reclamation of their joy and sensual exploration.”
