ABSTRACT
Just as the homosexuality diagnosis was challenged by gay activists, and transgender activists disputed the gender identity disorder, BDSM allies and advocates have attempted to change the paraphilia category. BDSM sexual activities share certain characteristics. First, they are statistically non-normative, that is, they seem unusual to those who do not share BDSM proclivities. Second, during a sexual experience, called a ‘scene,’ the roles appear very polarized (top/bottom, dominant/submissive). Third, BDSM players experiment with physical stimuli and emotions — like fear, humiliation, or pain — that have a paradoxical relationship to the pleasure of sex. Power dynamics in BDSM are usually more significant than the giving or receiving or pain, per se. Most of the research on BDSM practitioners has used samples derived from kink community organizations and events. People who practice BDSM do not constitute a ‘protected class’ under any laws. Of interest to clinicians is the discrimination BDSM practitioners face from the mental health community.
