12 Further Sexualities

Chapter 12: Further Sexualities

Unfortunately in order for there to be literature and resources on a topic communities must be formed who take on that identity and wish to propagate knowledge about it. For example, there is often information about fetish as part of the BDSM communities, but little distinct from it. AB/DL is starting to develop a community with several websites and a few books becoming available, while furry communities have started websites, but have published no specific books as yet. While there is a good deal of slash fiction available there are few community resources – beyond the stories themselves – which are readily available to the wider population outside of some conventions and the academic literature. Exhibitionism and Voyeurism do not, yet, seem to have an identity as such associated with them. This means that, while there are a variety of channels to express these practices, little has been written about their consensual practice. Consequently, mindful of the changing nature of the internet, we offer the websites listed below as being a reasonable resource at the time of writing, although we take no responsibility for the content. Performing an internet search periodically should update you on these topics as more information becomes available.

Online community etiquette

It is important to note that the minority communities often use the internet as a means of support and for the sharing of information and creation of community. This is partly for ease of access and anonymity reasons, but also because it offers a forum for people to communicate which does not necessarily require the same material and financial resources, skills and time which non-online spaces require and thus allow a more grass roots organisation to emerge. It is therefore incumbent on professionals to engage with online communities and sources of information, while respecting the need for these too to be safe places for the community members involved. It is ethical for you to introduce yourself as a professional and to bear in mind that clients, potential and actual, may be behind their online avatars.

General

Gates, K. (Ed.) (2000). Deviant desires: Incredibly strange sex. New York, NY: Juno books.

Gould, K. (2012). Exposing phallacy: Flashing in contemporary culture. London: Zero Books. – It is important to note that this book relates to the non-consensual version of exhibitionism so is beyond the remit of the book in this sense, but it provides useful insights into the motivations behind exhibitionism, and the ways this has been treated in the past.

Queen, C., & Schimel, L. (Eds). (1997). PoMoSexuals. San Francisco: Cleis Press Inc. – This book considers postmodern sexuality being sexuality which is unconstrained by strict boundaries around gender and (consensual) attraction.

Fetish

http://www.skintwo.co.uk – This is the website of the popular fetish and BDSM magazine Skin Two which started in 1983 and is now sold quarterly in mainstream stores globally. The website has a range of information and a forum.

Thorne, T. (1999). Children of the night: Of vampires and vampirism. London: Indigo. – this book considers the vampire myth specifically as it relates to modern day Gothic identities and people with ‘real vampire’ identities. It may fit properly under its own category, but is included here for reasons of expediency and with relation to the high import given to clothing, aesthetics and materials. It is not uncommon for many identities and practices to not be fully discrete from one another.

Erotic fiction

http://www.trickster.org/symposium – This website is a Fanfiction Symposium – a collection of essays on the writing of fanfiction

Harris, C., & Alexander, A. (Eds). (1998). Theorising fandom: Fans subculture and identity. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press inc. – This is an edited collection considering the theoretical considerations of fandom.

Tulloch, J., & Jenkins, H. (1995). Science fiction audiences: Watching Doctor Who and Star Trek. London: Routledge. – This book considers two of the largest sources of fandom and the relation their fans have to them.

AB/DL

Harrington, L (B). (2008). The toybag guide to age play. Oakland CA: Greenery Press.

This is a small book from the useful “The toybag guide to” series which outlines the basics of ageplay, AB/DL etc.

Easton, D., & Hardy, J. W. (2005). Radical ecstasy. Oakland CA: Greenery Press.

This book covers a number of ways of playing with sexuality, especially within a BDSM milieu. It has some brief sections on scenes (see chapter 6) in which the participants are playing people of different ages.

http://www.adisc.org – this is an online forum for AB/DL

http://understanding.infantilism.org – this site has a more academic flavour with lots of information on AB/DL/infantilism.

Furry

http://www.furaffinity.net  – A community site including art, forms, FAQs and listing of meetings.

http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Furry – a wiki devoted to all things furry, including resources and links to community sites, fora etc.