Kink/BDSM Communities

The acronym BDSM stands for bondage, dominance/submission (DS), and sadism/masochism (SM). The term kink is sometimes used as a synonym for BDSM and often used for an even broader array of sexual practices and preferences that transgress sexual norms, for instance, fetishes. Both terms refer to sexual and erotic practices among consenting adults and may describe practices and relationships as well as identities of practitioners.

There are various connections between trans people and BDSM. Historically, sexology has considered transvestitism as a fetish and therefore deviant sexual practice, effectively pathologizing crossdressing that is considered to have an erotic value for the individual. On a community level, trans people have been affected by the fact that the BDSM communities have historically been divided into men-only (targeting gay and ...