website: http://wmdifferentstrokes.com
listserv: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wmds
EDITOR'S NOTE: In my travels in the BDSM world
both as a leader and participant, I've discovered that most
people don't realize the incredible amount of work it takes to
run a BDSM group. From the guest perspective it's just a party
or munch now and again to go to. But behind the scenes there are
many people who work very hard to make this happen. I asked Ed,
Leader of White Mountains Different Strokes to write a monthly
column for SCENEsubmissions that would help our readers
understand what goes on behind the scenes. You can read past
articles in this series on the epe dominion site:
www.epedominion.com/library in the leader's speak section.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In these writings, I've stressed the decisions
that individual groups take to serve the needs of their own
members. But as the title indicates, we don' t operate in a
vacuum: there are other organizations that serve the BDSM
community. Most are not competitors, but instead are
complementary, serving a wider regional need. It's wise to take
them into account when making plans. Here are a few important
ones in the region and beyond:
Boston Dungeon Society (BDS) - my first
exposure to the scene came via the munch in Nashua, NH that
Estelle of BDS used to run. This group was founded by noted
author John ("Mentor") Warren, who you can meet in
person at various BDSM expo's. He always has a booth with his
books and compact disks. This group acts as a major source in
the greater Boston area, offering a chat room, Yahoo Groups,
classes, social parties and it is they who "slide down the
firefighters pole" when there is a problem in the region (Paddleboro,
L' Affaire Peabody, the Quincy pro domme situation, etc.) and
respond to media inquiries. Many smaller groups that run munches
in this region fall back onto this group for a lot of
"heavy lifting. " In northern New England, the
CUFSmaine group acts as a smaller version of this organization.
They will also publicize your group's munch/soirČe, etc.
www.bdsbbs.com
NELA - the New England Leather Alliance (a
chapter of the national organization, NLA). They sponsor events
throughout the year (prime sponsors of the twice-annual Fetish
Flea Market events in Boston) and publish a quarterly newsletter
"The Scarlet Leather." Joining includes discounts at
Fetish Flea events and adult stores, easily recouping the cost
of the card, itself. They will also publicize your group's
activities. www.nla-newengland.org
Leather Leadership Conference (LLC) - a group
dedicating to helping those who run groups across the nation.
This coming April, LLC will be holding its annual conference
(with various workshops) for the first time in New England, at
the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston (also the site of this January's
Fetish Flea Market). A valuable resource for those who manage
groups - chances are if you have an issue, someone else there
has "been there," plus they have a list of papers on
various management topics. www.leatherleadership.org
National Coalition of Sexual Freedom (NCSF) -
as its name implies, this is a Washington, D.C. group devoted to
the entire adult sexuality community and the issues of
antiquated laws thereof. With some of the recent legal troubles
of the BDSM, though, the Foundation's Statement of Purpose has
now emphasized the "20 million citizens who face increased
discrimination and persecution because of their participation in
SM-Leather-Fetish activities. www.ncsf-foundation.org. If my
group had legal issues, after BDS and my own lawyer, my next
phone call would be here.
In addition, groups often receive notices of
more ad-hoc events such as the "Gathering of the
Tribes," a region-wide weekend gathering of group leaders
in New England and the Group Leaders in Bondage (GLIB) that some
of us in northern New England have participated in before. And
finally, just attending events like the Fetish Flea and Maine
Shopping Spree events will bring you into contact with
experienced people throughout New England.
So, if the prospect of starting or reviving a
BDSM group seems...well, rather daunting, not to worry, you do
not have to go it alone.
