Without the kink community, oral sex or anal sex with your spouse might still be illegal, as it was until 1962. Kink’s landscape of embracing those whose sexual preferences of identities were otherwise outcast led to the manifestation of the conversations around inclusion that we are having today.
Read: Can You Be Religious and Kinky?
Kinksters and Sex Ed
I recently asked my friend and colleague, Susan Wright, Spokesperson for NCSF, about some of the ways that the kink community has brought awareness to important issues that had previously been ignored by the mainstream. She replied:
“The kink communities have provided adult education about consent and safer sex for decades, and we're very good at teaching people how to communicate about their sexual desires and relationship needs. That's why the mainstream has been turning to kink lately to understand the dynamics of consent: when is it freely given freely, how to withdraw consent, and how to set your own boundaries. Our kink organizations are also setting an example with our consent policies and consequences for non-consensual actions.
Kinksters should feel pride in our community. We are fighting for sexual freedom and bodily autonomy, which are essential for a free and equitable society. Check out the Leather Archives & Museum and the Carter/Johnson Library to find out more about our history and how kinksters are changing the world for the better.”
Read: An (Abridged) History of Kink
Kinky and Proud
Being kinky is nothing to feel ashamed of or a thing we need to hide away in the darkest recesses of who we are. By exploring our history and community’s culture and contributions we can feel a deep sense of pride in embracing kink as part of who we are.
Yes, kinksters have often gotten a bad rap through history but we can consciously decide to change that by educating ourselves and others. We also still struggle, as a whole, with inclusion around racism and accessibility but led by many amazing activists are see those issues being addressed. Kinksters have opened the world’s eyes to many sexual social justice issues that have transformed the world for the better.
Be kinky and be PROUD.