I came across this story in the Globe and Mail (a Canadian newspaper). It discusses the dangers of BDSM that have been in the news lately. It seems to treat us fairly, but distantly. It would seem that the authors only familiarity with us is from the research in this article. It relies heavily on college professors and sex therapist, but a bright spot comes from Susan Wright from the NCSF.
“What you might interpret as pain, another person in the right context interprets that as heightened pleasure,” said Susan Wright, spokeswoman for the U.S.-based National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, who also engages in S&M. “It’s different from violence or abuse in that those are cycles of control in terms of non-consensual control.”
Ms. Wright said sadomasochists often set specific ground rules before a session to establish limits and code words that tell their partner to stop. Even those who haven’t done extensive research on the subject should know their partner’s limits, she said.
“It’s common sense. It’s not like we’re doing brain surgery here. We’re tying people up and having sex.”
I would like to note that all of the recent stories have been involving breath play. I do some of that myself with esclave, and the only advice I have for you is be very very careful. We don’t need to loose any more members of our community.
The House of Void 
There’s a fine line between ignorance and stupidity. The brave ones admit their ignorance, learn, make decisions based on that knowledge (maybe even be brought back to the drawing board), and grow. It’s all about growth, really. Testing limits, pushing- and that’s in EVERY aspect of life. It’s sad losing people to ignorance no matter what the situation, because there’s never a need. Knowledge truly is power, and it’s out there for everyone.
That’s all I got to say about that 🙂