I am going to start filtering some of my more private musings. Since blogger does not have a tool for that, you will need to visit my Live Journal and ask to be friended there. I will continue to post Daily Gratitude and other subjects here. There is also a FAQ for my Journal at the same link.
Anonymity in the leather world (3rd post today)
| Sunday, August 03, 2003 @ 15:39 There's been a lot of flutter on a few lists lately about the possibility of cameras documenting the Ms Leather World contest in Texas next weekend. Waivers, intent of the filmmakers, control of the contest owners, etc. have been been questioned, discussed, and argued. The underlying issue seems to be fear of being outed. I personally understand that fear. I didn't come out to my family as being lesbian-identified until boy moved in with me (though they had their strong suspicions long before that) and they still don't know about our O/p dynamic or the SM element of our relationship. For nearly two years after I moved to AZ to be more "out" about my life, I worked for a religious organization that would have fired me if they knew I was engaging in homosexual activities -- let alone that I was active in bdsm groups and liked to beat people. I have a dear friend who has had to go back into the closet as a lesbian because the career field she entered requires state certification and the board in this conservative backwater thinks "immorality" by their standards affects professional aptitude. I know what's at stake and how precarious this political climate is. (AZ appealed its sodomy laws last year, but there's still domestic violence laws that let the state press charges even if your partner says they consented.) Everyone has to weigh what they are willing to risk and what they aren't. I respect that fully. I just question, for myself, the safety we think we have. I realized years ago it can be an illusion. Examples? A woman in a bdsm group is cheating on her husband and doesn't understand that computers leave trails. He sues her for divorce and custody of the kids, calling on her friends from the group to testify against her in open court. He uses her e-mail address book, cell phone records, and even has his lawyer attempt to subscribe to the e-mail list for the group to identify potential witnesses to her behavior (and that's the one attempt we caught, who knows if he made other attempts that the moderators missed). It was a close call for many who thought they were anonymous, because one member was indiscreet. A funeral is held for a member of the bdsm community. The police attend said funeral and take down the license plates of everyone in attendence, holding the mourners until any outstanding warrants or parking tickets could be identified and "perverts" held over for legitimate complaints. A dungeon is subjected to a sting operation where undercover police officers sign an waiver stating they aren't undercover police officers and will respect the privacy of whatever they see in the dungeon. Months later attendees are prosecuted using secret video tapes as well as witness testimony from said officers. I have long understood that if I go to a munch that is publicized on a website, discussion list, local alternative newspaper, etc, any member of the press, law enforcement agencies, private detectives or private citizens can easily take down license plates and track the identity of all in attendence, just by watching who leaves which room and goes to which car. I know that running into a co-worker at a leather event means that I could be outed if said person doesn't care about his job and assumes that I don't care about mine. I know that if a member of a group is suddenly disillusioned by the bdsm world, he may decide to lash out at everyone he encountered while there -- in an effort to either get back at someone or to "save them from themselves". What level of risk are you comfortable taking? And how honest are you about the level of risk that is actually involved? I've never understood those who assume that attending a public leather event is safe simply because it's several states away from their home and everyone has to sign a confidentially statement. Let alone those who feel that belonging to a local dungeon, even those that are careful to operate legally and do everything they can to protect the privacy of members, protects their identity with any guarantee. I'm choosing to take a more active role in my local community. To have a more public persona as a representative of the leather/bdsm world. To put more identifying information on my website and journal than I was ever comfortable providing. But that's my informed choice and I would not make that choice for anyone else.
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