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A different sort off ball |
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Written by Kurt Brighton
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Friday, 26 October 2007 |
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 Leather and latex and spanking—oh my!
We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. In fact, conservative Sen. Sam Brownback of the Sunflower State would probably have a heart attack on the spot if he saw what was going on at the Fetish Ball, the latest incarnation of which is taking place at Club Osiris on Sunday, Oct. 28.
The ball is at 9 p.m. at the Fort Collins club, 2649 E. Mulberry St.
The event is a celebration of various alternative lifestyles, featuring darkwave goth/industrial DJs spinning their happy-go-lucky music and several wandering dominatrixes plying their trade. Sunday’s event will also include a demonstration of shibari, a form of traditional Japanese rope bondage. And although the show promises to bring out all sorts of costumed leather and latex enthusiasts, organizers say that it’s also about educating and enlightening those of us who aren’t quite ready to don a leather corset—at least not yet.
“We have a very diverse crowd at these events,” said Sarah, an organizer who declined to give her last name due to family and job concerns. “Some people participate, others just observe, some people dress up, where others dress casual. Either way, everyone is welcome.”
In addition to making even the, er, under dressed feel welcome, the show’s performer-participants are also careful about just how much they include newbies in the evening’s festivities. Mistress Jae is one of the dominatrixes who will be attending, and she said she gets volunteers at every show who want to try a little spanking.
“Anybody who wants to come up and try it is welcome to,” she said. “We bring a couple of different implements and they can pick what they want. And we start off very light. If they say, ‘Oh, you can spank me harder than that,’ we ratchet up a notch at a time, very gradually. Here’s a chance to try it in a safe situation, or just observe.”
Jae won last year’s Miss World Leather title—sort of a darker version of Miss America for leather enthusiasts—and she spends much of her time traveling around the country to appear at various events like the Fort Collins Fetish Ball. But in addition to providing a bit of safe titillation for gawkers and leather fans alike, she said her mission is mainly to educate people about alternative lifestyles.
“It’s about being an activist and helping young adults learn about alternative lifestyles,” she said. “I’m out there demonstrating techniques, and showing that it’s fun. Traditionally it’s been people in their ’30s, ’40s and ’50s getting into the lifestyle. Now, though, we have younger people getting into it, and I want to help them find out what resources are available out there, and show them ways to be safe.”
In addition to providing a sort of leathery learning channel for fetish enthusiasts and would-be enthusiasts, Jae also reaches out to universities and clinics, helping people who don’t participate themselves better understand those who do.
“I try to educate people who aren’t in the lifestyle themselves — health-care workers, and people who have friends into the lifestyle,” she said. “Trying to help them understand the difference between what is typical behavior in these relationships, and what is abusive.”
Even if you’re pretty sure that spanking and leather aren’t for you, the Fetish Ball is a way to check out what normally goes on behind closed doors in a fun, safe environment. Besides, as Mistress Jae might say, how can you know won’t enjoy it if you don’t try it?
“I just try to say, ‘look, it’s not something you do in a scary dark basement,’” she said. “You can laugh and have fun doing it.” | Only registered users can write comments.
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