Kink Community Denounces Eric Schneiderman

The New York Post reports:

Many members of what’s widely known as the kink community are outraged that Eric Schneiderman, in resigning as New York’s attorney general, depicted his alleged violence toward several women as “role-playing and other consensual sexual activity.” Aficionados of kinky sex noted that Schneiderman’s accusers insisted they had given no consent — which is considered obligatory among practitioners of kink.

The Schneiderman story was the topic of conversation on various online communities on social media and blogs devoted to the subculture of BDSM. A Seattle dominatrix named Mistress Matisse called any non-negotiated encounter “ABUSE. End of story.” Others expressed hope that it would increase public understanding of BDSM and help highlight the distinction between its traditions and non-consensual violence.

Ej Dickson, an editor with MensHealth.com who writes often about dating and sex, wrote Tuesday that the kink community “puts a premium on consent.” “It is one of the very basic tenets of BDSM,” she wrote. “Often, sex acts will be negotiated beforehand in the form of contracts, and either way, anyone practicing BDSM responsibly will implement a ‘safe word’ to make it clear if they are uncomfortable with anything happening.”

RELATED: In a piece for Rolling Stone, gay journalist Matt Baume expounds at length about the rules for BDSM.