This is a basic set of guidelines on how to build diversity in BDSM/Leather education. Equal access BDSM education is your goal — meaning that all minority populations who want education that is relevant to their experience (whether POC, transgender, disabled, or other minority within the BDSM/Leather umbrella). It is on leaders and organizers to make an effort and reach out to educators who represent the true diversity of the BDSM world and to run events that welcome all who seek BDSM/Leather/fetish knowledge.
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t achieve the recommended goals. Please use this as a guide, not a bible, and adapt to your group, your goals, and your geography. (Note — Our guidelines are based on national U.S. statistics. They may not apply to your local area. If your local population lacks diversity, it may be very difficult to come close to the recommended guidelines. )
That said, many events miss out on valuable opportunities to build community and to honor equally all BDSM-positive points of view and cultural experiences. Some events come across as hostile by neglecting to invite speakers whose experience is relevant to transmen and transwomen, or who cannot speak to the unique culture experiences of POC, or don’t provide easy access for people in wheelchairs. FAIL. Education should be accessible and relevant to all the people in attendance.
Think about it: the more people can find community at our events, the more satisfied they will be. Yay. New friends! The more satisfied they feel, they more likely they’ll come back. Yay! Ongoing friends. The more they come back, the stronger we are as a Community. Plus our vendors and sponsors will be happy to see a big happy crowd. Win-win.
Below is a dream list of percentages and practices to create an inclusive environment for all consenting adults. Adjust those numbers to your region and your group’s needs and wants. If you suspect your group could use some attitude-adjustment in the diversity area, invite outsiders in and make your people listen.
You are educating them. Don’t just preach to the choir. Expand their horizons.
CREATING DIVERSITY
Here is our ideal template, which we based on national (US) demographics. If you’re lucky and live in a big integrated city, no need to fudge with the numbers. But if your region has a higher or lower density of white or non-kinky than the national averages, you will need to adapt accordingly.
Much more important than hitting the target numbers is staying focused on the goal of including as many different voices and experiences. No matter how narrow the focus of your group, exposure to other voices is an important part of a solid education in BDSM. Every BED educator has a story worth hearing, so don’t forget to browse our directory to build your track.
- POC (Black, Asian, Latino, and others) people should represent roughly 20% of the educators. This means that in any group of 20 educators, at least four of them should be POC.
- LGBTQ people should represent roughly 25% or more of the educators.
- Transgender/gender neutral people should represent roughly 10% of educators (approx. two or more for every 20 educators)
- Disabled people should represent at least 5% of educators (1 or more per 20 educators)
- The remaining 40%+ should represent straight-identifying BDSMers
DIVERSITY TRAINING 101
If you can’t figure out how to get enough diverse experience into your track because of location, bundle it into one big seminar for all. Search your community for people who are members of minority communities and invite their spouses/life-partners too. Create a panel where they can educate attendees on their issues and challenges. Or let them talk about their style of play. It can be serious and heavy or light and fun, but however you and they choose to do it, make diversity training a norm in your educational programs. Oh yeah, try and get people to attend them too. 🙂 Very important!
CREATING COMMUNITY ACCESSIBILITY
I used the term Equal Access BDSM education above. Here are 5 additional recommendations to make your event accessible, welcoming and affordable.
1 – Set up a fund to give scholarships to economically disadvantaged BDSM educators to cover the costs of travel, food and accommodations. You will find it a lot easier to attract in-demand educators and they, in turn, will attract more learners and fans to your events.
2 – Most public spaces offer wheelchair accessibility and other amenities for the disabled. But before you sign a contract with a hotel, go over accessibility issues. People in chairs should be able to travel easily between classes, be able to use bathroom facilities in the public areas and in their rooms, and have easy access to food areas. Ask if they have scooters, wheelchairs or oxygen equipment for rent if a guest should need one. Let all guests, abled and disabled, know if the space has a first aid station and, if so, where it is located. Also, be sure to have the hotel include accessible rooms in your room block. For those events with a contest or stage area, be sure this is also accessible for your needs (contestants have access, anyone from the audience who needs to come on the stage, etc).
3 – Gender-neutral bathrooms are common in some parts of the US, ok in others, and forbidden in quite a few states. If your space does not have a bathroom where a transgender person can pee with dignity (seriously), talk to management about placing temporary signs in the event areas over existing signs so the toilets can be transgender-aware for the duration of your event. If local law forbids it, they may forbid you. Try calling around to competitive spaces and see if they are more enlightened.
4 – Create a registration system to gather information on preferred pronouns and include that on name badges.
5 – Check all language for inclusivity. Go back and read your website, your documents, scripts, general descriptions, press releases, etc. Replace gendered language with non-gendered language such as: participants, members, attendees, people…etc.
Note: It is up to individual leaders to adapt our recommendations to their membership realities. Use this as an aspirational guide (what you could achieve in a perfect world.) Don’t expect perfect results. Your group or location may make some things impractical, even impossible.
@GloriaBrame with the collaboration and approval of the BED Foundational Board, updated February 2018