Heartbreaking but inspiring

I was sorting my email and came upon this letter, which I received soon after starting the Sex+++ documentary film series.

Posted with permission:

Andy Thayer of Gay Liberation Network (GLN) forwarded your email about the sex-positive film series at Hull-House and the discussions afterward. I am a member of GLN and, although not gay, have lots of kinky needs (e.g. infantilism, BDSM, crossdressing) that I have largely kept closeted for most of my life.

I am sixty-three years old, have written pornography on the latter themes in my retirement, and have determined in the last years of my life to see what I can do about affirming these sexual aspects that have been almost exclusively a source of shame and self-loathing for so long. The film series and especially the opportunity for discussion afterward seem an ideal venue to explore this possibility. I am intrigued by this project, especially the sex-positive nature of it given my history of shame.

I try to imagine what it would have been like to go through sixty years suppressing my most driving sexual needs. More than twice my lifespan spent forcing myself not to explore my “darker” desires; forcing myself to believe that I’m a shameful pervert just for having such thoughts. Electing to run from my sexuality rather than seeking to adjust to it, own it, love it.

It hurts.

It’s not that I don’t think people can have fulfilling lives without exploring sexuality in detail. People are different; people have different desires, needs, priorities; and those desires change over time. And our options are limited by our environment — the places we live, the people we meet, etc. There have been and there will be times in my life where I don’t spend as much time on exploring sexuality as I do right now, and of course I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Sex comprises only a few threads in the tapestry of an awesome life.

But it still hurts to know just how many people are out there who can’t even begin to acknowledge their sexuality. Indeed, it hurts every time I find another instance of shame about my own sexuality (and of course I struggle with sexual shame; we all do; no one’s so enlightened as to be completely free; all we can do is our best). The sex drive, which can be so many things — from simple pleasure to dark catharsis to deep expression of intimacy — I wish everyone could have complete access to it. That’s not possible, I guess, but at least … even (perhaps especially) with sexual approaches that don’t include what society traditionally thinks of as “sex” — if it’s masturbation, if it’s fantasy, even if it’s not having sex at all — I want everyone to feel comfortable getting in touch with their sexual needs.

It’s not that people can’t have fulfilling lives without having sex — or even without thinking about sex. But it hurts to think that anyone would believe they have to.

It hurts to think about someone, at age sixty-three, feeling like they spent most of their life “closeted”.

Still, at the same time, it makes me feel so much better to know that I’m helping create the space to venture out.

Storytime with Clarisse, slash Clarisse’s Advice Column: On Collars

I received a lot of really great positive feedback after I gave my BDSM Overview presentation at the Museum of Sex. One of my favorite letters was this one. I swear, I should start an advice column ….

Her letter (posted with permission):

Hello Clarisse,

I attended your lecture at the Museum of Sex on Friday and I just wanted to say that it was very helpful for me. I’m very new to the BDSM scene and I guess I’m being mentored by a dominant who I am dating. He’s very patient and understanding with me, but I’ve had quite a difficult time accepting even the fact that I am submissive. As I once told him, to me submissive equates weak and helpless. I’ve always wanted to think of myself as a strong, independent, feminist woman so I am having a hard time with this. It definitely made me feel better to hear you talk about your similar struggle. I am not being coerced, or lured into anything I don’t want — I am definitely submissive and interested in BDSM and exploring that whole path — but it took me a while to accept that I am submissive, and I do have issues with it a little still. I just want to make sure you understand that it’s not an issue of being forced or asked to do anything I don’t want to do.

But I did want to ask about the use of collars. I don’t know if this is more of a personal preference, but he is interested in buying me a collar and I just can’t shake the association with pets, slaves, a.k.a. degradation! He is the most charming man I know and treats me better than any “vanilla” boyfriend I’ve had, so I know he would never want to degrade me, but I just can’t shake those associations and a collar means a lot to him. Do you have any advice?

I answered:

Of course I can’t tell you whether it’s right for you to let your boyfriend collar you. Of course only you can make that decision. You already know those things, I hope! What I can tell you is about my own experience.

First, though, a side note. You might consider trying to find a different mentor, rather than relying on someone you’re romantically involved with. I mean, you might want to have this man stay your lover, but find a separate person who can mentor you.

For one thing, it’s a really good idea to have a mentor who is of your “type” — so for instance, as a bottom, I’d advise you to find a mentor who has experience bottoming. For another thing, it’s a good idea in any relationship to make sure that you have resources for advice and assistance other than your partner. And this is especially true of fledgling BDSM relationships, where there’s so much new to learn and understand! Of course, part of seeking an outside advisor is that you want to feel sure that you’re getting unbiased input. But it’s also worth noting that it can put a lot of strain on your relationship for your boyfriend to be, not just your lover, but your major source of BDSM information and understanding. That’s a lot of roles for one person to fill. That might feel okay now — it sounds like it’s a new relationship and you’re both excited — but after a while, being so dependent on one person could become a real problem for one or both of you. Or it might not. :grin: Again, I don’t know what’s right for you. This is just some general tried-and-true advice from mentoring groups I’ve encountered.

On to your actual question! There are lots of different feelings on collars, in general. There are people in the BDSM community who simply use collars to demarcate temporary roles. A while ago, I played with a man where we agreed that once he put the collar on me, I would obey him unquestioningly for the evening; then, at the end of the evening, he took it off and the encounter was over. That was just for one night, and in that case, the collar might be considered like a symbol, or a costume — putting us in a certain kind of space together for that time. But collars are also sometimes seen as a deep sign of love and commitment. I know people who consider collars to be as strong a statement as a wedding ring. They wouldn’t even think about wearing a collar just for one night, or for someone they met recently.

Personally, I have evolved a bit on my preferences, and collars mean something different for me from what they meant several years ago. When I first came into BDSM, I was very uncomfortable with it; I needed to take small steps to keep myself comfortable. Also, I was doing BDSM with a man whom I felt emotionally uncomfortable with — I think that I wanted to distance myself from him emotionally whenever we did BDSM. As a result, I believed (that is, I told myself) that I was only interested in the physical sensation: pain. I said that I wanted nothing to do with submission or ownership. I remember that I even told one friend, very emphatically, that I’d never ever wear a collar! Never!

Later, when I had my first BDSM-flavored relationship with someone I loved and trusted, I realized that I did want to wear his collar. I wanted to feel like he owned me and could do whatever he wanted with me. I started to understand that I did want aspects of ownership in my BDSM — I recognize now that I even want aspects of degradation. But I had to come into that slowly, because those things were emotionally very hard to accept for an independent, rational feminist such as myself. And it can be confusing to work out in practice, too, because I don’t want those things from everyone! For instance, I’m willing to do some BDSM with people I don’t know very well — but I need to trust someone a lot before I can enjoy a degradation scene with them. And obviously, since I top sometimes, there are some BDSM partners where it wouldn’t even enter my head to wear a collar. Every relationship has its own texture.

As for the statement, “You own me” — I don’t say that to someone unless I’m totally into them. It feels dark and a little scary, but it also feels real and important. It feels like I’m saying something even stronger than, “I love you.” If I were with a man who wanted to put a collar on me, and if putting a collar on me meant saying to him — whether aloud or silent — “You own me,” then I would have to be totally in love with him to do it.

Desires change over time. Sometimes people don’t like things that they’ll like later. Sometimes people stop liking things. But of course, sometimes people always like certain things … or never like certain things. Maybe someday I’ll wear collars casually. Maybe someday I’ll decide never to wear a collar again! Maybe I’ll even get bored of collars and wear them as nothing more than jewelry!

So maybe you’ll never want to wear a collar, and that’s fine. Just work on it slowly. Don’t rush. Certainly, if wearing a collar feels like degradation to you — and you don’t want to be degraded — then don’t do it! I know you don’t want to ignore your lover’s needs, though. So if this is so important to him, try asking him why it’s important. Does he want to degrade you? Or does he want to feel like he owns you? Or does he just want some kind of mark on you? Or does he just want you to carry a symbol of his? Once you know why he wants to collar you, maybe that’ll help you work out a compromise. For instance, if what he really wants is for you be marked by him or carrying a symbol, then he could give you another piece of jewelry that you always wear.

Hope this is helpful, or at least illuminating!