‘It’s so much more than sex’
Butch leather dyke Tomo will be the keynote speaker at Beyond Vanilla Beyond Vanilla to celebrate its 32nd year in Texas CAROLINE SAVOIE | Contributing Writer CaroSavoWriters@gmail.com Dallas’ National Leather Alliance is calling in a kinky and curious crowd to its 32nd Beyond Vanilla conference this weekend, an annual event that aims to educate attendees about safe sexual exploration.
Sir Tender, co-director of Beyond Vanilla and one of the co-chairs of NLA-Dallas, said many styles of kink can be dangerous, even life-threatening.
She even recalled an experience of her own in which a couch caught on fire during a play scene. “We educate everyone to be as safe as possible, but accidents do happen, and people need to be prepared to handle those kinds of situations,” Tender said. “We want to have fun, but we need to be safe.” With 60 workshops, special events, play spaces and a vendor market, Beyond Vanilla offers a comprehensive kink education experience over the three-day event.
The conference opened Thursday, Nov. 9, and continues through Sunday, Nov. 12, in Mesquite, and registration is still open. Tender said that beyond power, pain and paddles, Beyond Vanilla is a curated community space that is safe for anyone to celebrate — and learn more about — leather, kink and BDSM.
