Ace of (BDSM) clubs: Building asexual relationships through BDSM practice
Abstract
Since the, 1990s, asexuality has gained prominence as an identity adopted by individuals who do not experience sexual attraction. Paradoxically, many asexual individuals form relationships through Bondage and Discipline, Domination and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism (BDSM) – acts conventionally assumed to involve sexual desire and pleasure. I interviewed 15 asexual individuals to illuminate why they participate in interactions where sexual attraction is often expected and expressed. I propose that BDSM helps these practitioners form non-sexual relationships by providing tools for navigating sexual expectations and redefining their behaviors as indicative of affections that do not stem from sexual desire.
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Biographies
Lorca Jolene Sloan holds Bachelor’s degrees in Comparative Human Development and Psychology from the University of Chicago, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology.
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Article first published online: February 27, 2015
Issue published: September 2015
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