What are Kink and BDSM all about?
Kink is an umbrella term that refers to a variety of sexual and non-sexual fantasies, fetishes, and activities. Kink is often contrasted with “vanilla” sexuality and behaviors. A fetish is sexual attraction to objects, body parts, or situations not conventionally seen as sexual. Kink is also used to refer to one’s unique or specific sexual propensities. (For example, “I have a kink for high heels.”) Some people do not associate kink with sexuality at all.
BDSM is also many things. Some BDSM activities may or may not include sexual experiences. BDSM stands for bondage & discipline, dominance & submission, and sadism & masochism. In the broadest sense, BDSM may incorporate restraint (bondage), pressure, sensation, or elements of power exchange (non-erotic and erotic) such as dominance and submission. You may find that some people object to the term BDSM which was derived in part from a mainstream medical model which has stigmatized these behaviors.
As with all sexuality, kink and BDSM are consensual.
Some studies report that at least 9% of the US population has engaged in some kind of kink sexuality at least once. Anyone can be kinky.
Critical Resource
Kink / BDSM Guidelines for Mental Health Clinicians
Clinical Practice Guidelines for Working with People with Kink Interests, Developed by the Kink Clinical Practice Guidelines Project, published December 2019, via Kink Guidelines
This is a resource for mental health clinicians to increase awareness of best-practices for working with kinky clients. Published in 2019/20, you can now download the Clinical Practice Guidelines (PDF, 636kb).
Read more about their creation and contributors on their website, Kink Guidelines.
Kink / BDSM Reading and Resources
These are resources about kink, BDSM, fetishism, leather, and sexual practices and identities considered “alternative.”
Academic Articles
- Kolmes, K., Stock, W., Moser, C. (2006) Investigating bias in psychotherapy with BDSM clients. Journal of Homosexuality, 50 (3/4). Download PDF (2MB)
- Preferences in Information Processing, Marginalized Identity, and Non-Monogamy: Understanding Factors in Suicide-Related Behavior among Members of the Alternative Sexuality Community, (2020) via MDPI
- Wright, S. (2018, May). De-Pathologization of Consensual BDSM. The Journal of Sexual Medicine (PDF, 146kb), 15(5), 622–624
Research Organizations
- Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities (CARAS)
- The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance (TASHRA)
- Center for Positive Sexuality
Advocacy
General Information
- The New Topping Book, Dossie Easton & Janet Hardy
- The New Bottomming Book, Dossie Easton & Janet Hardy
- When Someone You Love Is Kinky, Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy
- The S&M Feminist, Clarisse Thorn
- Sexual Outsiders: Understanding BDSM Sexualities and Communities, Daniel Ortman & Richard Sprot
- SM 101: A Realistic Introduction, Jay Wiseman
- Safe Sane & Consensual, D Lanbridge & Meg Barker
- Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice, Mark Thompson
- Different Loving, William Brame, Gloria Brame & Jon Jacobs
- Sacred Kink, Lee Harrington
Informational Brochures
Recent articles
View all kink/BDSM articles.
Join our Mailing List
Subscribe to the KPACT mailing list for upcoming event news, resources, networking opportunities, and more!