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susanw@ncsfreedom.org
www.susanwright.info
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
822 Guilford Ave #127
Baltimore, MD 21202
Office: (410) 539-4824
Fax: (410) 385-2827
www.ncsfreedom.org
Read the NCSF Article Personal
Meets Political
The National Coalition for Sexual
Freedom (NCSF) is a national organization committed to altering the
political, legal, and social environment in the United States in order
to guarantee equal rights for consenting adults who practice forms of
alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights
of consenting adults in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory
communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual
expression.
Sadie: You founded the
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) in 1997. Was there a
particular problem that got you going, or was it a long term interest?
Susan: "I founded NCSF after I started the SM Policy Reform Project
for the National Organization for Women. I began the NOW project to
change their anti-SM policy after a good friend and activist mentor,
Barry Douglas, died in the fall of 1996. He had always told me that SM
activists needed to change NOW’s stance, and since I had been a NOW
member from the early 1980’s, I decided to dedicate the project to
him. We were finally successful in changing NOW’s anti-SM policy in
the summer of 1999.
"In the first six months of doing that project, I got so many
e-mails and calls from people who were discriminated against or needed
help because they were in the process of a divorce or child custody
case. I realized there was a need for a national SM-leather-fetish
advocacy organization. Many activists told me it wouldn’t work –
both GLBT and SM activists. But I did it because I saw the need. I
worked with Riki Anne Wilchins, who had started GenderPAC the year
before, and she helped tremendously the first year in getting NCSF off
the ground."
Sadie: What does your job entail
as spokesperson for the NCSF? What's the hardest part? Do you ever get
discouraged?
Susan: "As Spokesperson, I speak to the media on behalf of NCSF.
I also reach out to reporters when there is a story we’re pitching,
such as our stance against the attacks by the Concerned Women for
America against SM conferences in the Midwest this past spring. I
develop our sound bites with the NCSF media committee, and I write press
releases, calls to action, announcements and NCSF statements. I also
train media spokespeople for SM groups so they can speak to the media
themselves.
"The hardest part is when there’s an incident and reporters are
calling at all hours of the night and on the weekend. I’ve stood in a
cow pasture talking on my cell phone to CNN during a trip upstate. I
have to be ready any time they want to talk to NCSF because we can’t
miss an opportunity. It also is hard because I have to do a couple of
hours of volunteer work a day for NCSF, and that can be wearing when
I’m trying to write a novel or book. But I believe in what I’m
doing, so I’ll continue to do it as long as I can."
Sadie: NCSF has an Incident
Response Team. What do they do?
Susan: "The Incident Response Team assists whenever there’s an
incident regarding SM, swing or polyamory. They move into action to help
during a crises. This team offers advice about how to handle the
problem, how speak to the media, and we train media spokesperson from
within the group. This team also talks to state Attorney Generals and
prosecutors when there’s a criminal case involving consensual SM. NCSF
has gathered peer-reviewed information about alternative sexual
expression that we offer to assist professionals in these cases."
Sadie: The laws seem to vary a
great deal on what is or is not illegal in terms of BDSM events. For
example there's an ongoing debate on whether the age limit should be 18
or 21. What general guidelines might you suggest that might help prevent
problems?
Susan: "NCSF supports adult consensual sexual expression. In
America, an 18-year-old is an adult. However many educational and social
groups have an age limit of 21, which is the drinking age in many
states. NCSF doesn’t have a recommendation for age limits except that
they be over 18 to participate in social and educational events."
Sadie: How would you respond to
people who feel that limitations at group BDSM events such as age
limits, maximum drinking limits, or spousal consent encourages a culture
of fear? Despite the limitations that rules place on us, would you say
that from an organizational perspective they are needed to protect the
larger BDSM community?
"Certainly there must be age limits or there is a possibility
that minors will attend SM-leather-fetish events. Individuals should be
carded at membership events and/or sign a release form stating they are
an adult. As for alcohol – there are strict alcohol laws that prevent
nudity, even partial nudity, or sexual contact in locations that have
liquor licensees. NCSF encourages groups to be aware of their local laws
before producing an event. Violating liquor laws is one of the quickest
ways to get in trouble with law enforcement."
Sadie: If someone is facing
discrimination because of their BDSM preferences, what are the steps
they should take prior to contacting NCSF?
Susan: "They should document what has occurred and be prepared
to give NCSF all the relevant background information. For example, NCSF
makes sure that in child custody cases, there are no priors on record
such as child abuse, child neglect, etc. NCSF only supports individuals
who are truly being persecuted for their SM-leather-fetish
practices."
Sadie: NCSF relies mostly on
individual and group contributions. Can you give me an idea of how much
it costs to provide the services you do to the community? What should
someone do if they want to raise money for NCSF?
Susan: "NCSF will cease to exist if people don’t donate funds to
keep us running. It takes about $100,000 a year for NCSF to be able to
serve the SM, swing and polyamory communities. Most of that money comes
from individual contributions and group donations. Groups tend to do
fund-raisers at their events for us. A raffle is always good, or a
silent auction. Many scene businesses donate items to NCSF that can be
raffled or auctioned off. You can check our Supporting Members to find
businesses that regularly donate to support NCSF. Groups have also done
a live auction, auctioning off 'celebrities' in the scene for some
play."
Sadie: Some time ago here in
Vermont, a local television station wanted to do a story on alternative
lifestyles and contacted the groups in Northern Vermont who declined to
provide information. Do you believe that educating the vanilla public is
key to our being free from discrimination, or is that idea still ahead
of the curve? Considering the risks in coming out, what's the best way
to go about educating the broader community?
Susan: "It’s very important for people to give the correct
information about the SM-leather-fetish community – that we educate
about safe, sane and consensual sexual expression, and folks can use a
safeword to stop the scene at any time, and it takes trust, honesty and
communication to be able to do consensual SM. However, many educational
and social groups don’t want the spotlight on them because they are
more concerned about creating a safe space for their members. That’s
why NCSF is so useful. Groups can forward media requests to us and we
will talk to the reporter about the community in general, rather than
specifically about your group. I can also train one of your group
members to be a media spokesperson. NCSF gives you soundbites you can
use that are known to work well. We recommend that anyone who speaks to
the media is completely out. There is no way to speak to the media and
be closeted at the same time, unless it’s something like writing a
letter to the editor. That normally wouldn’t be the cause of outing
someone."
Sadie: NCSF is one of very few
organizations who is out there fighting for the rights of people in the
BDSM community. How would you say this fight has changed over the last
six years you founded the group?
Susan: "The biggest change is that the SM community supports
our efforts. Most people didn’t know we existed even several years
ago. And it’s essential to have the support of the community. It’s
not enough to have three letters to the editor sent. In the most recent
case, we’ve documented over three dozen letters to the editor sent to
a major newspaper complaining about a story they did about an SM
practitioner. That’s the sort of community pressure that a newspaper
notices. NCSF also needs the support of our community in order to stay
alive as a group – without your donations, we will cease to
exist."
Sadie: Your 1998 Violence and
Discrimination Survey found that 30% of SM-leather-fetish practitioners
had suffered from various forms of discrimination, and 36% have
encountered violence or harassment. What do you think is the key thing
that will change this? Would you say that this movement is similar to
the GLBT movement in that they have gained a measure of respectability
with a long fight?
Susan: "NCSF is trying to change the political and social climate
in America so that discrimination and persecution based on sexual
expression ceases to exist. To do this NCSF educates the media, law
enforcement, law makers, mental health professionals, and our allied
organizations, among others. The GLBT community claims that coming out
is an important part of ending discrimination and persecution, but
that’s a double-edged sword for folks who have jobs or child custody
they could lose. But it certainly helps for those who can come out to do
so.
Sadie: You coordinated the SM
Policy Reform Project for the National Organization for Women (NOW),
which in 1999 successfully changed NOW's 20-year anti-SM policy. What
was their policy, and how is it now changed? Do you know if this change
has had a real affect on any women's lives?
Susan: "You can find the old 1980 Delineation of Lesbian Rights
on: http://members.aol.com/NOWSM/SMPRP.html
And the new Delineation of Lesbian Rights:
http://members.aol.com/nowsm/home.html
"It always helps to remove persecution that is encoded in the
policy of organizations. It takes away one of the excuses people use to
discriminate against us. NOW has changed since 1980, but I believe for
NOW to become a true feminist organization, they need to deal openly and
honestly with sexual issues. Many women today understand that sexuality
is a key part of their lives, and when groups like NOW refuse to deal
with sexual issues except to say 'pornography is bad' then they aren’t
going to be reaching the next generation of feminist leaders."
Sadie: You are a prolific author,
with over twenty books published. Your next novel, Slave Trade, will be
published in the Spring of 2003. What do you most enjoy writing about?
Do you have to wait for the muse, or do you find that writing invites
the muse in?
Susan: "I love writing and have been publishing books for over
ten years. Slave Trade is the
first book in a science fiction trilogy about alien abduction and human
sex slaves. It’s got plenty of consensual kinky sex and nonconsensual
sex. 'Abducted by aliens, forced into bondage...' I think this is a book
that the SM community will really respond to. It will be out in April
2003 though Pocket Books.
"I write every weekday, from about 11-6pm. After so long, I’ve
gotten very self-disciplined with my writing. I typically imagine the
characters in the situation and watch them do their thing. Then I write
it down. Often the characters take me in directions I didn’t expect,
which is interesting with a three-book series because the character arcs
are so long.
"If you want to know more about my books, go to: www.susanwright.info
"
Sadie: Can you tell me a little
bit about your BDSM life? How did you get into the lifestyle?
Susan: "I found the New York SM community through friends I was
doing role-playing games with -- sort of a sophisticated version of
D&D. I enjoyed role-playing so much that they suggested I check out
the local SM scene. I loved it – I was 28 years old at the time. And I
almost immediately became an activist, working with the Leather Pride
Night Auction to raise money for local and national charities, including
the Heritage of Pride parade, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, the
Anti-Violence Project, NCSF and others."
Sadie: Is there anything else
you'd like to share with our readers?
Susan: "Please join NCSF! We need your support or you’ll lose
your SM advocacy group. Go to: http://www.ncsfreedom.org/membership/index.htm
Sadie: Thank you for chatting
with me!
Susan: "Thank you for interviewing me."
Susan Wright Reviews Fetish Photographer Barbara Nitke's New Book Kiss
of Fire
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sensuous
Sadie is the author of It's Not
About the Whip: Love, Sex, and Spirituality in the BDSM Scene (http://www.trafford.com/robots/03-0551.html).
She is the founder and leader (1999 - 2001) of
Rose
&
Thorn
,
Vermont
's first BDSM group.
Comments, compliments and complaints, as well as requests for reprinting
can be addressed to her at SensuousSadie@aol.com
or visit her website at www.sensuoussadie.com. Sadie believes the universe is abundant, and that sharing information
freely is part of this abundance, so she allows reprints of her writing
in most venues.
Copyright
2003 Sadie Sez Publications
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