International Master and slave 2010 Announced

3 03 2010

This past weekend saw the South Plains Leatherfest, International Master/slave Weekend, come and go. Two friends of mine won the International Master/slave competition. Congratulations (again) to Master Obsidian and slave namaste. For those of you unaware of the significance of this, I found this on the event’s web site.

The Owners/Producers of the International Master/slave Contest are committed to providing the leather/SM and Master/slave communities with an International Master and an International slave who will represent the M/s lifestyle with integrity and competence. The holders of the International Master and International slave titles will be seen as spokespersons for the Master/slave community, and as such, one of the most important attributes of the titleholders should be the ability to clearly and effectively communicate what it means to them to live and identify as Master and slave.

It is expected that the holders of the titles will take every opportunity to educate the leather/SM and M/s communities on the Master/slave lifestyle, and will actively seek out venues that will allow them to speak on Master/slave issues, whether that be through speeches, seminar presentations, participation on panel discussions, writing articles, etc.

The International Master and slave titles are not about a particular “look,” dress, body type, gender or sexual orientation. There is no required set of protocols that the International Master and slave are expected to follow.

Contestants at the International Master/slave Contest have competed at and won one of the regional Master/slave contests certified as official feeder contests by International.

Master Obsidian is one of the most in-depth thinkers I have know when it comes to TPE/IE. I have learned quite a bit reading his words and look forward to learning more.  Slave namaste was the mentor of my girl. She is an amazing person, who exudes grace, poise and spirituality.

Now to persuade CAPEX to bring them to town.

MV





Kinky Is Not a Diagnosis

24 02 2010

Hi, sorry for taking last week off.  I was with my girl, and frankly got busy with doing things with her. That said, the NCSF has basically declared victory in their efforts to have Lifestyle activities removed from the DSM – V.

For those not familiar with the DSM (the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual), this is the book that the head doctors use when trying to figure out what sort of crazy you are.

Most important, it’s used by doctors to define what’s normal and what’s not. It was the DSM that officially declared homosexuality a mental disorder, and then in 1973 officially undeclared it. It’s defined an ever-expanding range of phobias and addictions that we’re still arguing about, but this time demands for more transparency aim to crack open the window on DSM deliberations, so interested parties can weigh in before they are enshrined, because once they are, the FDA approves drugs to treat them, and any further debate is drowned out in the flood of direct-to-consumer ads. [Link]

The NCSF says:

In the proposals for the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM-V), alternative sexual behavior has been depathologized. NCSF applauds the American Psychiatric Association’s Paraphilias Subworkgroup’s revisions which state that you can be a fetishist, transvestite, sadist or masochist without having a mental disorder. More work needs to be done but this is an important first step!

Finally. I knew I wasn’t that crazy.

MV





Running for the Board

20 01 2010

So, I have a bit of an announcement to make.  This Saturday I will be running for the Board of Directors of CAPEX. While I have had issues in the past with the direction the group was headed, I have decided to step up and try to make a positive impact on the group. Towards that end, I have submitted my self nomination form to run. It will be a good challenge and I hope that I am allowed to serve this organization.

Wish me luck.

MV

Update: Well I lost this round, but two great people won. I wish them luck in the future.  I did toss my hat into the ring for a special election in February. Only a 5 month position, but I would like to win. Wish me luck again.





“Teasing” a New FetLife Site – Kinky Tease

6 11 2009

John Baku (why does this man not have a Wikipedia entry?) has announced that due to popular demand, FetLife will have a line of t-shirts, and maybe other schwag. I am eagerly awaiting the T-shirts, though personally a pin or patch would look better on my vest. Kinky Tease (you get the pun?) is the new site that he launched to support the effort.

Initially there will be 3 designs, which you can see here, here and here. (FetLife Membership required.) Order yours on December 1, 2009.  I am all a twitter.

Speaking of twitter, you can follow KinkyTease on Twitter.

MV





NCSF Asks Community to File Complaints With Police About Eagle Raid

4 11 2009

Well, I had wanted to talk about John Baku’s latest project today. But a more urgent matter has come up, and since I like to be somewhat timely on my blog, I decided to bump John (Sorry man) and talk some more about the Atlanta Eagle Raid.

On November 3rd, the NCSF issued a news release, which I will quote below.

ACTION ALERT
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
Lawless cops are a threat to everyone in America
NCSF joins state and local representatives in urging everyone to file a complaint if they were present at the Eagle on September 10th, when the Atlanta police illegally detained 62 patrons and 8 employees and searched them without a warrant, reasonable suspicion, or probable cause. You can file a complaint with the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Citizen Review Board which is investigating the raid:
http://atlantaeagleraid.com/how-to-file-complaints
If you need to maintain anonymity, then please contact Dan Grossman, who represents the Eagle and many of the patrons in connection with the raid. Mr. Grossman can be reached at (404) 654-0326, or at a special email address established for this matter: AtlantaEagleLawyer@gmail.com.
CONFIDENTIALITY IS GUARANTEED UNDER ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE. If you ask a lawyer for legal advice, the lawyer can’t reveal anything you tell him, including your name: the police can’t require it, your name can’t be subpoenaed, and the court can’t demand it. If a lawyer breaks attorney-client privilege, he or she will be disbarred.
“It’s so important that our patrons come forward,” says Richard Ramey, co-owner of the Eagle. “Everyone needs to hear how badly our civil rights were violated.”
“Please call today!” urges Susan Wright, spokesperson for NCSF. “This is a clear human rights violation. If we don’t speak up, they won’t stop persecuting us. We are the only ones who can fight for our rights.”
To read more about what happened at the Atlanta Eagle, visit http://AtlantaEagleRaid.com
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) is funded solely by donations. Please visit our website to make a donation and help support this ongoing work: http://ncsfreedom.org/
Please distribute this Action Alert widely (filed November 3, 2009)

National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF)
The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances the equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual and relationship expression. NCSF advances the rights and advocates for consenting adults in the SM-Leather-Fetish, swing, and polyamory communities. We pursue our vision through direct services, education, advocacy, and outreach in conjunction with our partner organizations to directly benefit these communities.
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom Media hotline: (917) 848-6544 Office: (410) 539-4824
media@ncsfreedom.org
http://ncsfreedom.org/
http://twitter.com/ncsf
http://ncsf.wordpress.com

If you were there, please help fight this injustice.

MV





NCSF: Call to Action

16 10 2009

Normally I try to keep Fridays lighter here at the House of Void, but this week I ran across something I wanted to share. I think these sorts of things art important so I am passing along this message from the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom.

Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis

Help make history by signing the DSM Revision Petition now! The diagnoses in the DSM-IV-TR still subject people who practice BDSM, fetishes and cross-dressing to bias, discrimination and social sanctions without any scientific basis.

We need 3,000 signatures, but we only have 2,200 now. If you don’t speak up and call on the American Psychiatric Association to adhere to empirical research when revising the diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V), then the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group won’t make a meaningful change.

To sign, go to: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/DSMrevisionpetition

You can make your signature anonymous on this secure petition site so it doesn’t appear on the Internet or when the petition is delivered to the APA.

Petition:
“We, the undersigned, support the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) own goal of making its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) a scientific document, based on empirical research and devoid of cultural bias. A diagnosis of a mental disorder can have a severe adverse impact on employment opportunities, child custody determinations, an individual’s well-being, and other areas of functioning.”

Therefore we urge the APA to remove all diagnoses that are not based upon peer-reviewed, empirical research, demonstrating distress or dysfunction, from the DSM. The APA specifically should not promote current social norms or values as a basis for clinical judgments.”

To find out more about the DSM and the Paraphilias section, read the NCSF & ITCR: The Foundation for NCSF’s “White Paper on the DSM Revision” at www.ncsfreedom.org

For more information, email: susanw@ncsfreedom.org

Help spread the word – please distribute this call for signatures!

October 15, 2009

National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF)

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances the equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual and relationship expression. NCSF advances the rights and advocates for consenting adults in the SM-Leather-Fetish, swing, and polyamory communities. We pursue our vision through direct services, education, advocacy, and outreach in conjunction with our partner organizations to directly benefit these communities.

National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (917) 848-6544 media@ncsfreedom.org www.ncsfreedom.org www.twitter.com/ncsf http://ncsf.wordpress.com








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