I Went To My First BDSM Party... And Here's What Happened

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Doors open at 12:30 a.m., so I had plenty of time to do my research about what the BDSM party entails because I was nervous.

I grew up a closeted, conservative Black man. This was 100% a new experience.Bondage: "Sexual practice that involves the tying up or restraining of one partner."Discipline: "The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience."Sadism: "The tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others."Masochism: "The tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from one's own pain or humiliation." —Oxford LanguagesEducating myself on the practices and purpose of the community before I embarked into the naughty night was paramount.Bonding hired Troy for the second season after receiving backlash from the community for misrepresentation.Toxic masculinity, my relationship with law enforcement, and my cultural responsibility as a Black man placed unwanted perceptions of dominance on me.

Is the BDSM community a place where I have the ability to choose how I'm treated? Consent is the priority through safe words, risk awareness, and thorough communication.

Thank the kink gods. I was worried.No one was going to interrupt our all-night adventure out in the middle nowhere.As I pulled back the curtain, I realized this moment was much like coming out of the closet.