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29 Apr 2015

A DVD you would wish your wife or servants to view? Drake Blaize, Michael Peacock trial and the law

Now that the obscenity trial against Michael Peacock is over, what have we learned? (Apart from the fact that there are still people who get their porn from DVDs rather than the internet?)

Rather wonderfully, the jury came back with a verdict of Not Guilty, unanimously, on all counts after about a tea-break’s worth of deliberation.

It’s that perhaps we are finally beginning to become comfortable with the idea of consent, the notion that one does not have to practice a particular sexual kink or orientation to not condemn it, and that people who approach an escort who goes by the handle “Sleazy Michael” and rent or buy DVDs from him are possibly, just possibly, not being blindsided by the nature of their content.

Which is probably a great relief to my publisher, given that I’ve written about more than a few of these so-called “obscene” acts (in chick-lit bestsellers no less). The law used to bring the charges against Michael, the Obscene Publications Act 1959, was the very same invoked in the Lady Chatterley’s Lover trial.

Making a Fist of It: The Law and Obscenity: We have not heard the last of R v Peacock

On Friday 6 January 2012, a historic case came to a conclusion in Courtroom 7 of Southwark Crown Court. Michael Peacock was unanimously acquitted, after a four-day trial that saw the outdated obscenity law of England and Wales in the dock.

Peacock had been charged under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 for allegedly distributing ‘obscene’ ‘gay’ DVDs, which featured fisting, urolagnia (‘watersports’) and BDSM.

Peacock had advertised the DVDs through Craigslist, his own website (which also promoted his services as a male escort), and in a magazine. The Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Command (SCD9) or London’s Metropolitan Police — which encompasses the former Obscene Publications Squad — saw the advert and began an investigation.

They contacted Peacock, arranging to call around at his Brixton flat and purchase the five most popular fisting DVDs, which they did; then, after examining the DVDs, returned to the flat to arrest Peacock. Peacock also sold DVDs on his website, sleazymichael.com, and in the London-based gay magazine, Boyz. ‘Gay, straight, bi and trans’ DVDs were available (the word ‘porn’ was not used in the adverts) for prices starting at £8.50. No lesbian, underage, ‘K9’, bareback, brown or blood DVDs were available, but a total of 2,247 DVDs were catalogued and Peacock estimated he made a modest £70 a week from their sale.

28 Apr 2015

Defining Subordination & feminist perspectives. Porn & BDSM

"Clare Phillipson suggests trenchantly, in defending the prohibition: ‘We do not need research to prove that the creation and distribution of material which depicts women being tortured for sexual pleasure … is anything other than harmful"

But this moderately plausible assertion is not enough to condemn extreme pornography without further evidence.





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15 women who deserve their own biopics








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Turkey's Atheists Face Hostilities and Death Threats

Onur Romano, a founding member of Turkey’s Atheism Association, opens the office and checks the mail. For once, he says, there are no death threats.

"Sometimes they send photos of some al-Qaida members chopping people off heads and putting all the heads in a bucket," he says. "They tell us your head is going to be in one of the buckets, that's how you are going to leave your office, stuff like that."

In officially secular Turkey, whose population is 99 percent Muslim, atheists are voicing alarm about what they call increasing intolerance fuelled by the country’s pro-Islamist government.

"Through Facebook, Twitter, emails, and to our call centre, we have received a couple of hundred death threats already," Romano continues. "We have a total of three security cameras, and we have two panic buttons hooked up to the nearest police precinct. But we are determined."
On Turkish TV channels where growing numbers of Islamic clerics espouse their beliefs, Atheists are a popular target. Romano says much of his group's work involves countering such views.

27 Apr 2015

Indians begin to talk about S&M



In an apartment in a middle-class neighbourhood in the Indian capital, Delhi, a group of men and women have met to talk openly about their love for BDSM activities.

Talking about bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism and masochism is an absolute taboo in India, a country well known for its conservative attitudes to sex.

But here, the conversation is candid.

The participants are members of the The Kinky Collective, a small group of heterosexual and transgender people, trying to connect to other Indians active and open about their BDSM preferences on various online communities and social networking websites.

'Shock'

Transgender activist Sara, a member of the group, says it has a "dual purpose".

"We want to spread awareness among people who carry preconceived notions on BDSM, but we also want to educate people joining this lifestyle about its own rules and principles. For example, consent is critical and the dominant [partner] has to always be very responsible for the submissive and take care of his/her safety."

Calcutta-based Joy Willingly says most members of the collective were slow in opening up about their BDSM lifestyle, but as they came in contact with other people, they realised that some support, organised initiative and conversations were needed urgently.

"We found out that there was a lot of hostility, once these people came out, even their friends wouldn't understand and distanced themselves, so we are now trying to give a sense of community, that there are others who feel this way, and that it's fine."

Almost a year into their work, the group, which has grown now to 15 members, has presented papers and held discussions with students of mental health, women and gay activists and participated in human rights and law conferences.

I had first met Sara at a transgender performance night organised at a popular arts centre in Delhi a few months back. Sara and her partner had enacted a very intimate BDSM sequence to an audience of about 100 people.

Simulating rough sex and the use of a belt and whip surprised and shocked many in the audience.

Many described the performance as brave while others questioned it.

Sara had to speak to many people individually but claims that such interactions were, in fact, the opportunities they needed to educate people.

Another member, Jaya, 40, says that BDSM is mostly misunderstood to be violent in India.

"It is, in fact, a very intense play of power and pain, I have been a feminist for 20 years, but I choose to be a submissive in my relationship. I chose to give my consent and don't see this as violence, but an experience that is edgy, erotic and even spiritual."

'Problematic'

Psychologists say that those who embark on BDSM "play" usually come to an agreement about the roles they will play: dominant, or submissive.

India's well-known sexologist, Dr Narayana Reddy, disagrees.

He says in the last 20 years, at least 1% of his patients came with complaints about their partner's demand for a BDSM lifestyle.

They were between 30 and 50 years old and were middle class, Mr Reddy says.

They spoke about acts ranging from being burnt by cigarette butts and severely bitten by their partners. They were also pricked with needles, tied up in chains and put on a dog's leash and "humiliated" in front of others.

"If this kind of bondage, domination and sadomasochism is the only means by which a person gets aroused, then I would term it as sexually problematic behaviour," says Dr Reddy.

"Initially, someone might try it for its novelty, but with time that can run off and it can leave deep scars, both physically and emotionally."

Many in India were surprised that Fifty Shades of Grey - a trilogy about a steamy romance between a businessman and a student which contains scenes of sadomasochism - sold so well in the country.

Sandhya Mulchandani, who has researched many historical Indian texts on erotica like Kamasutra and written books exploring Indian writings on sexuality, says: "Unlike modern times, our historical texts were not judgmental. I don't find any specific writing on BDSM, but the spirit was to acknowledge the many shades of human behaviour and ask them to be accepted for what they are."

Despite this legacy, Indians are still prudish.

So then, will a controversial lifestyle like BDSM become culturally "acceptable" anytime soon?


The Kinky Collective surely hopes so.



WEB: www.sinfulandwicked.co.uk MOB: 07426 490 214 TWITTER: @sinfulandwicked

15 Apr 2015

Consent is a grey area?

Consent is a grey area? A comparison of understandings of consent in 50 Shades of Grey and on the BDSM blogosphere






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Practice makes perfect

Resulting form the lack of effectiveness in work while wearing shackles, I did promise Mistress to practice more at home when I have time an...