♦ Well, it seems this Max Mosely thing is still trundling on and frankly the whole thing really gets my goat up, so I figured it was time finally to give my two pennorth.

I’ve decided I probably use the word ‘disgust’ too much but, y’know what? That’s probably because an awful lot of things disgust me. And this really does.

The ‘journalism’ of the News of the World is absolutely loathsome, claiming that Mosely engaged in BDSM with a severe Nazi theme and that it is in ‘the public interest’ for them to have exposed him for the dreadful pervert he supposedly is. Nonsense.

I’m into BDSM, so it’s fairly obvious that I’m going to say it shouldn’t matter whether he engaged in BDSM sex acts or not. But I’m certainly not into Nazism, which means it may surprise some when I say that it shouldn’t matter whether he engaged in Nazi-themed sex acts either. Yes, we all hate the Nazis, yes they were bastards beyond belief, but really there is no moral problem whatsoever with some guy (whether he’s the son of a fascist or not, and that shouldn’t be relevant either) getting his jollies in that kind of consensual get-up.

I don’t believe he actually did go Nazi, and the fact that the News of the World seemingly automatically tries to convince us that German = Nazi is really quite repellant. But either way, it’s his personal life. What he gets up to in the bedroom (or wherever) is really no one’s business. What anyone gets up to in the bedroom is no one’s business.

The meeja have, in the wake of this idiocy, run a few articles about BDSM seemingly in order to enlighten the innocent, butter-wouldn’t-melt populace about the kinksters in your cupboard. Oh alright, it’s not actually as bad as all that, but I do feel that they’re rather misrepresenting the whole thing. I mean, only one out of the five articles I read even knew what BDSM stands for (that’s Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism, for those not in the know). Good old Beeb.

Perhaps I’m reading them looking for bias, but with phrases like ‘the supposedly dark sadomasochistic lifestyle’, mention of links to emotional problems and childhood abuse and the almost unanimous pointing out of BDSM as potentially or actually illegal, I feel that it’s hardly being presented in the best light.

BDSM covers a whole spectrum of activities, from a slap or the arse here and there or some harmless hand-tying, through flogging and handcuffs, all the way to CBT, asphyxiation and edge-play. Some of it *is* dangerous, most of it is not. And as long as the policy of safe, sane and consensual is followed then all is well.

A recent survey quoted shows that around 10% of the population have experimented with BDSM, a figure roughly equal to that quoted for the percentage of the population who are homosexual. And we all know about how they used to be treated. This isn’t a little niche of dangerous perverts. It’s a rather large niche of perfectly normal perverts.

BDSM is not a filthy little cult, its something practised by a huge variety of people, and well done to Max Mosely for standing up for what he enjoys. Until this trial I hadn’t even realised there was a need for someone to do that, but it seems there may be. Thank you, Max Mosely, for being unashamed, for fighting back and for telling the world this is normal.

It’s about time that the media, the law and the government stayed out of the consensual bedroom. My body is mine and I will do as I please with it, whether I keep it ‘pure’, enjoy it, or flog it (in either sense of the word).

The worst thing about Max Mosely’s orgy? That from what I’ve seen of it it wasn’t particularly hot. The best? That they all sat down and had a pot of tea after the kink. A very English orgy indeed :) ♦

♦ UPDATE: I find out this morning that Mr Mosely has won his court case. Huzzah! The judge said that one ‘could expect privacy for consensual “sexual activities (albeit unconventional)”‘. Let’s hope this is a good sign for the rest of us who like a little bit of BDSM.

I’ve written another post on this topic since his victory, which can be found here♦