Newsgroups: uk.people.bdsm
Subject: uk.people.bdsm FAQ v0.5 (3/3: BDSM in the UK)
Followup-To: uk.people.bdsm
Summary: Information specific to the UK scene, and this newsgroup.

Archive-name: uk/bdsm-faq/part3
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: GMT 1998-04-28 22:00:00
Version: 0.5
Maintainer: Pallando 
Archive-URL: 
Copyright: see ans 0.2

------------------------------


Subject: 4.0   What is the UK?

The UK is a kingdom of the coast of north-west Europe. It consists chiefly of 
the island of Great Britain (comprising Wales, Scotland and England) and 
Northern Ireland, but also assorted territories. It became officially 
The United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland in 1922 when the 
rest of Ireland became autonomous.

------------------------------


Subject: 4.1   I'm visiting the UK, do you have any advice?

Don't try to bring any published BDSM material through customs. No matter how 
mild you may think it is, it's up to the individual customs officer what they 
confiscate. The majority of SM paraphernalia is, however, quite legal, 
although electrical toys may be seized as they may be deemed either weapons 
or medical apparatus. If you're asked what the whip or crop is, just tell the
truth.  There's little they can do except embarrass you.

In terms of other advice, the UK is known for its changeable weather. Never 
assume it will be warm, and always bring something waterproof. The individual
parts of the UK are so varied as to seem like separate countries, and 
guidebooks can give more conventional information than we can here. For info 
on BDSM events, the best thing to do is go to a fetish shop and ask for the 
latest flyers (if they aren't on display), lists of these are in some 
magazines available world-wide (such as skin two), or see our section of 
club websites (see 7.2.1).

------------------------------


Subject: 5.1   Is BDSM against the law?

This is a difficult question to answer. It has to be yes, and no. A police 
operation named "Operation Spanner" targetted a group of gay and bisexual 
BDSMers in the early nineties, because they mistook a home movie of their 
activities to be a snuff film. When the case came to court, the men pleaded 
not guilty to charges of causing actual bodily harm on the grounds that they 
had all consented to the activities. The prosecution could not get any of the
men to say it had been non-consensual, and had even tried threatening the 
"subs" with aiding and abetting actual bodily harm, as they had asked for 
these things to be done to them. Nevertheless, the judge decided that consent
was not a valid defense, and with no other availiable defense, the men were 
found guilty. A campaign group (Countdown On Spanner) quickly appeared and 
started to make a lot of noise about this, and the case went to appeal. The 
appeal failed, and it went to the Law Lords. The Law Lords upheld the original
judgement, but did recommend that the law be changed, and noted that the 
definition of Actual Bodily Harm by then had changed so much that the 
original prosecution would not have gone through. 

The case only refers to activities, such as whipping or caning, that leave 
marks. Any mark which is "of more than a trifling or transient nature" is 
currenlty against the law. The only way to test this, however, is to have 
another court case. A case cannot go ahead without evidence (the marks 
themselves are not enough, they have to prove how they were gained) and so 
unless you have videotapes, and someone gives one to the police, you are 
probably safe... The case makes no mention to the legal status of consensual 
bondage, humiliation, roleplay, fetishism, watersports, or any other BDSM 
activities except those which mark.

------------------------------


Subject: 5.1.1 Countdown on Spanner

The campaign group "Countdown on Spanner" has been superceeded by two groups:
"SMPrideOrg (UK)" and "The Spanner Trust".  They issued the following notice:

COUNTDOWN ON SPANNER CALLS IT A DAY

After considerable discussion, the Countdown on Spanner Campaign has
resolved to wind itself down and to transfer its assets and energy to
the proposed SMPride Organisation

Campaigners decided that as the Spanner Case was finally over, it was
prudent to move on to a new agenda. Activists at its last meeting
welcomed the news of the proposed SMPride venture. And were pleased to
be able to actively support this new organisation as a positive
celbration of pansexual sm sexuality

The Countdown on Spanner Campaigner was founded by Kellan Farshea in
1992 as a pansexual activist SM organisation. Its central aims were to
raise funds to support the Spanner men; to raise public awareness about
SM sexuality; and to promote SM as a valid adult sexuality. 
Over the 5 years of its existence it raised over £80,000 for the SM
rights cause. Allowing the Spanner case to be fought through the British
judicial system and to the European Court of Human Rights. Although the
case was finally lost in the courts, campaigners have argued that in
terms of public acceptance of SM, community awareness and political
support - the campaign was a brilliant success. It helped to change the
political climate regarding consenual adult sex. And helped to create an
international SM community. Among the organisations that developed out
of this climate was SMDykes, SM Bisexuals, The Sexual Freedom Coalition,
The Annual SM Pride Weekend and The Spanner Trust.

As well as thanking every person who ever donated money, time or energy
to the Campaign, the campaigners wished to extend a special thankyou to
the Central Station in Kings Cross which provided the group with a home
for 5years.

Long time campaign member, Dr Mike Frost said " Despite losing the
Spanner Case, I believe that Spanner was a major factor in the recent
developing wider awareness and acceptance of SM sexuality in the UK"

Ishmael Skyes, Author, said "one of the acheivements of the campaign was
its ground breaking role in uniting gay, bisexual, lesbian and
heterosexual sadomasochists behind one flag"

Rob Grover, Erotic Oscar winner, said " SM and Leather groups across the
world rallied to the cause and raise over £80,000 over the 5 years of
the campaigns existence"

Kellan Farshea, Founder of the Campaign said " This is obviously an
emotional decision but over the years I believe that the campaign has
changed the face of sexuality politics in Britain. And through SM Pride,
the spirit of the campaign will live on, giving strength and support to
sadomasochists across Britain and promoting SM as a valid sexual
choice."

Whilst the activist vitality of the campaign will be carried in SM
Pride.Org, the balance of the monies raised will continue to be held by
The Spanner Trust. Under the terms of its deed, it will continue to work
in support of SM Rights across the world. And any groups that think they
may be eligible for such a grant should contact the Trust in writing.

For more details about Countdown On Spanner, the forthcoming SMPrideOrg (UK)
or The Spanner Trust, contact Kellan at . 

------------------------------


Subject: 5.5.0 Play parties   

These are usually invitation only, non-commercial events held on private
premises.  See 
 
------------------------------


Subject: 5.5.1 I want to throw a play party; how do I go about it.

	[ this section needs quite a bit more.  Like how liable are
          hosts in the UK? ]
	[ And don't say "Just lift it up and chuck it". ]

Here are some suggested rules:


a)  Don't intrude on anyone's scene unless you're specifically asked to join in.

b)  Men should not ask women for their phone numbers, but should wait for
women to offer.  (If this isn't a rule, then at the very least, it should
be made clear that if a woman doesn't want to give her phone number to a
man, he should not pester her or intimidate her about it.)

c)  Do not touch anyone without hir permission.

d)  If you ask someone if they're interested in doing a scene with you, and
sie declines, do not ask again.

d)  Don't come to the front door wearing your fetish gear and cracking your
whips.  Bring your stuff in nondescript bags and change once you're inside. 
Especially if the party is at someone's private home.  

e)  If you run into someone you meet at the party out in the real world
(tm) don't strike up a conversation with hir, especially not about the
party or the scene, unless you are absolutely certain it's okay to do so. 
(That might be hir boss or vanilla significant other or parents sie's
with.)

f)  If someone breaks one of these rules, let a host or a dungeon monitor
know about it.  The offender should either get one warning or be told to
leave immediately.  If you're told to leave, don't expect to ever be able
to come back.

g)  Anyone, especially a woman, who attends the party alone should be given
an escort to hir car by one of the hosts, or someone the hosts trust
completely.

------------------------------


Subject: 5.5.2 I want to attend a play party; what is the etiquette?

The etiquette will vary with the party, but basically you need to
act with respect for others: don't interrupt a scene (unless the place
is on fire or another such emergency), no flogging without permission, 
all subs are not YOUR subs...and all doms are not YOUR dom.  Don't hog
all the sausage rolls at the refreshment table...things like that....

Ask yourself the following questions:
* Is at least one important part of your goal in attending this social
  event to actually be social and to meet new friends?  
* Are you comfortable talking and laughing with other BDSM people of all
  genders, including transgendered people?  Shaking hands or giving hugs, 
  again irrespective of gender or appearance?
* Do you understand that no one is attending this party to personally 
  entertain you, and that you are responsible for acting like a mature and 
  courteous adult even if you are talking to someone who isn't wearing any 
  clothes?

------------------------------


Subject: 5.7   What is the history of the scene in the UK? The Hellfire club, etc.
	       [ Does infomation on Cynthia Payne, etc. belong in the FAQ? ]

_The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets_, Barbara G. Walker
(Harper/Collins, formally Harper and Row)
_Intimate Matters_, D'Emilio and Freedman (Harper and Row)
_Sex in History_, Reay Tannahill (Scarborough House)

------------------------------


Subject: 6.2   Am I still welcome in the uk.* groups
               if I don't live in the UK?

Yes. Anyone with an interest in the UK is welcome in the uk.* groups, although
they should respect the fact that these are a regional discussion forum. 
Mentioning in passing that things are different in Nebraska is one thing, but
ranting on about the Constitution or senators or your TV programmes will not 
make you many friends. Also if you have little experience of UK politics or 
current affairs, please don't tell those of us who live here what our country
is like, this may sound obvious, but it does happen!. 
If you're from the UK and moved away, or intending to visit, you are also very
welcome here, but do see 7.1.7

------------------------------


Subject: 7.1.1 its Charter

uk.people.bdsm: CHARTER v1.0
written by group proponent: Amethyst 

Charter:

     This group is for the discussion of bondage, discipline, 
     Domination, submission and sado-masochism in the UK by those 
     involved in the scene and those with an interest in the scene. 

     I hope that this group will not have the need to enforce strict 
     on-topic discussion but will be a friendly place for those
     interested or involved in the bdsm scene can get to know one
     another. However the initial posting in a thread should be on-
     topic, however much it may wander later. Queries about bdsm
     practice, tips on safety, discussion of methods and materials,
     arrangement of related UK meetings and events etc are all on
     topic.

     alt.sex.bondage has a policy of allowing explicit fiction, however 
     I feel it may be best to put this off-topic. However announcements
     when a story has been posted to alt.sex.stories or alt.sex.stories.
     bondage by a member of the group are allowed.

Advertising:

     Short (less than 20 line) announcements of _UK events_ relevant to 
     readers are permitted; blatant off-topic or commercial advertising 
     (even those related to the group topic and in particular for phone 
     sex, explicit web sites or bulletin boards) are not. If you run a
     related business you may advertise it in your sig, providing it
     does not exceed 6 lines total, if you have something relevant to
     post to the group.

Binaries:

     Binaries are not permitted on this group, they should be posted to
     alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.bondage. Posts advertising web sites 
     or bulletin boards containing explicit pictures are not welcome,
     again you may advertise in your sig if you have something relevant
     to post.

Personals:

     Personals are off-topic. The correct place for personals is 
     uk.adverts.personals.


------------------------------


Subject: 7.1.2 its History

Amethyst  writes:

The creation of uk.people.bdsm started in November of 1996 when I proposed
a uk.sexuality hierarchy which would include a bdsm group. This caused
uproar mostlky because it included the suggestion that uk.gay-lesbian-bi
could be rmgrouped and replaced with uk.sexuality.gay-lesbian-bi and I
forgot to post it to uk.glb. It was a mistake, sorry. The rest of the
ensuing discussion centered around the naming of the group, it was
instantly obvious that nobody wanted to use the sex wildcard incase of
spamming. There were also worries about propogation of a newsgroup about
bdsm, would educational servers carry it etc. There was far more positive
response to just a uk bdsm group than for a difficult to name uk sexuality
group and hierarchy. So I suggested uk.people.bdsm as a potentially safe
name in a reasonably suitable place.

The RFD for uk.people.bdsm was sent to Control on the 28th of November
1996. It was finally posted at the end of January 1997. There was now still
concern over the name, this time centering around it being too
incomprehensible. Finally the RFD was posted on the 25th January 1997.

Following are the summaries and rationale...

Summary: uk.people.{adult}.bdsm   Discussion of bondage, discipline, s/m
and D/s in the UK.

RATIONALE:
 This group will allow people in the British bdsm scene to
     contact one another and discuss matters more pertinent to
     the UK than other countries such as where to find clubs,
     shops or specific items and the legal and social implications
     of expressing an interest in this area in the UK. It can also
     be used to arrange munches (or meets) around Britain, hope-
     fully catering not just for the people in London.

     There is one world-wide group devoted to this area, alt.sex.bondage,
     but it is unfortunately innundated with spammers and also very
     American orientated. It can be very difficult for people in the
     bdsm scene to contact one another and this group may help many
     British people find out about their kinks and find others they can
     discuss them with.

Summary of RFD Discussion:
The only negative point brought up was in respect to the naming of the
group. There was some disagreement as to how obvious it must be made that
the content of the group is adult. Thus the choice of names in the vote as
to whether to include the term adult or not, other suggestions made were
not favoured by the other members of the discussion. It was also pointed
out that the group should specify no personals to avoid the problem
alt.sex.bondage has had with personals and that the definition of bdsm
should include the term discipline. One person asked if it was allowable to
vote against a group for reasons of personal taste. However the majority of
people supported the group.

The three options on the vote form were...
1. Create new newsgroup uk.people.bdsm
2. Create new newsgroup uk.people.adult.bdsm
3. Do not create a newsgroup
 
Voting ended on the 16th March 1997 and the group passed with the results
52 for uk.people.bdsm
19 for uk.people.adult.bdsm
2 for no new group
11 invalid ballots

I don't know the precise date it was created, should have been about 1 week
after the result was announced, it certainly came into existance before the
end of March 1997.

------------------------------


Subject: 7.1.6 its munches

PAST:

1998-02-21: Birmingham - Moonman's Dream

[ Anyone want to write a review I can point to?
  Can anyoen write a canonnical list of past munches? ]

COMING: ?  [ see Tanos' events list ]

------------------------------


Subject: 7.1.7 Hi, I'm new to this group. What should I do?

Well, hold your breath. It's best to read the group for a while before 
posting, to get an idea of the tone, content and, ahem, personalities. 
Some FAQs suggest reading for a month, but with a group like this you'd 
go mad with frustration. Try to hold out for two weeks, or read about 30 
articles. Then the best thing to do, as in polite society, is inroduce 
yourself. Just post a "Hello! I'm new!" message (not in an ongoing thread
about plumbing and depilatories!!) and tell a bit about yourslef. The info
you put in might include: where in the UK you live, how you identify 
(gay/straight/bi/dyke/bent/kinky/fetishist/switch/Dom/sub/slave/pet/whatever)
and a bit about your interests and fantasies... If you're lucky, and you put 
some truth in, you may even provoke your own thread...

------------------------------


Subject: 7.2.0 Links - BDSM

For non-UK specific BDSM links see ans 3.1.*

Websites often move or change, so link lists are hard to keep current.
There is an online version of this list at 
[ Anyone volunteer to host and maintain this section? ]

Pages will probably not be listed if they
a) have asked not to be listed,
b) are known to be broken,
c) are just personal or
d) charge for access to all significant content

Additionally, sites selling fetish clothing will probably not be listed here
(despite that being closely linked to BDSM) unless they also have some BDSM 
specific content such as personals or dungeon equipment, since there already
exists a brilliant guide to UK fetish shops at http://www.awe.com/~jnorth/uk

------------------------------


Subject: 7.2.1 UK BDSM Clubs online

http://www.grndlvl.demon.co.uk/
	Desyre Foundation

http://LFF.nixnet.com/
        Fetish Fair

http://www.tawse.com/
	Muir Reform Academy, and The Other Pony Club

http://www.thedoghouse.org/doghouse/index.html
http://www.best.com/~topdog1/doghouse/index.html
	Other Kennel Club

http://www.skintwo.co.uk/rubberball/rubberball.html
	Rubber Ball

http://www.backspace.org/torturegarden/
	Torture Garden

http://www.dircon.co.uk/powerhouse/smgays/home.htm
	SM Gays

http://www.andelain.demon.co.uk/smbi/
	SM Bisexuals

http://www.corp.demon.co.uk/
	Out of Town Klub

http://members.tripod.com/~wolfPup1/sishome.htm
http://www.cablenet.net/~twoboyz/main.htm
	Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

http://www.backspace.org/fist/
	FIST

http://www.whiplash.co.uk/lff/voile.htm
	Club Voile

http://www.whiplash.co.uk/boat.htm
	The Firm

http://www.fistersdungeon.com/
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~fister/lonreds.htm
	London Reds - gay men into fisting

http://www.powerhouse.co.uk/powerhouse/gummi/home.htm
	Gummi - gay men into rubber

http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~mscmsc/mschome.htm
	Manchester Super Chain

http://www.demesne.org/Beithe_Eilean/contents.html
        Eilean Beithe (see the Slap Rugby link)

http://www.westwardbound.com/party.html
	Divine Inspiration

------------------------------


Subject: 7.2.2 UK BDSM Magasines online

http://www.erotica.co.uk/ft/
	Fetish Times

http://www.skintwo.co.uk/
	Skin Two

http://www.ritualmag.co.uk/
	Ritual Magasine

http://www.secretmag.com/
	Secret

http://www.shiny.co.uk/
	Shiny

http://www.hallucinet.com/blueblood/bb_home.htm
	Blue Blood

http://www.o-magazine.com/indexAB.html
http://www.o-mag.com/indexAB.html
	<>

http://www.boudoir-noir.com/index2.html
	Boudoir Noir

http://www.desire.co.uk/
	Desire (seems to be broken)

http://www.arc.co.uk/body3/home.html
	Body Politic : sex & power edition

http://www.januslondon.co.uk/shop/main.html
	Janus (Janus, Februs, Obey, Privilege, Kane, Phoenix, Blushes, etc)

http://www.splosh.co.uk/home.htm
	Splosh!

http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Lights/9921/fcc.html
	Tied 'n' Teased

http://www.pitiless.com
	Pitiless

http://www.cyberotic.co.uk/flashart/footsy.html
	Footsy

http://www.cruella.com/toc.htm
	Cruella

http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~sandmark/smonline/contents.htm
	Feral

------------------------------


Subject: 7.2.3 UK BDSM Event Listings online

http://www.informedconsent.co.uk/events.html
	UK BDSM events

http://www.fetish-net.org.uk/
	Fetish Net

http://public.diversity.org.uk/guides/london/#Daily
	Daily guide to London's Gay SM clubs

http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~smelf/
	SM Elves (their listings page is a few layers down)

http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~cjm-drw/list.htm
	rubber clubbing

------------------------------


Subject: 7.2.4 UK BDSM Web sites - other

http://uk.dir.yahoo.com/regional/countries/united_kingdom/
society_and_culture/sexuality/activities_and_practices/bdsm/
	Yahoo [ Hey people! Submit your URLs here. It needs fillin' ]

http://www.andelain.demon.co.uk/mortice/stories/index.htm
http://www.twilight.demon.co.uk/jstories.htm
http://www.jadzia.demon.co.uk/fanfic/xmen/mhairie.htm
        BDSM fiction by UK Authors

http://www.beyond2000.co.uk/pallando/BDSM/alchemy.html
        Some BDSM philosophy

http://www3.mistral.co.uk/storm-cloud/menu.htm
        Savage UK

http://latches.ppages.com/newslt/euro.htm
        Humour

http://www.zynet.co.uk/wildfire
	Wildfire

http://www.ijama.demon.co.uk/ijama.htm
	Ijama

http://www.grndlvl.demon.co.uk/moondream.htm
	Moonman's Dream

http://www.barnsdle.demon.co.uk/span/span1.html
	Spanner

http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~k-k/
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kellan_farshea/spanneru.htm
	Kellan Farshea's guide to London

http://www.ranch.demon.co.uk/
	Pony Girl's Ranch

http://w3.win-uk.net/get/tbcgb/
	Boot Club

http://www.erotica.co.uk/cc/index.html
	Catalogue Connection

http://www.expectations.co.uk/
	Expectations

http://www.regulation-ltd.co.uk/page001.html
	Regulation

http://www.freedom.co.uk/anvil/index1.htm
	The Anvil

http://public.diversity.org.uk/deviant/frames.htm
	Deviant's Dictionary

http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~antje_c/blowabout.html
	Inflatable rubber

http://www.swagger.co.uk/otk/ads.htm
	Miss Lyn's Spanking Personals

http://www.freedom.co.uk/gagg/post_uk.htm
	Gay Army Gear Group

http://www.latexpajamas.com/rub_loc_uk.html
	Rubber Lover personals

http://www.eroticon.no/nicki/b2.html
	Nicki Lewis's lockable rings

http://www.hubcom.com/channel/soho/shop/boy/boy.htm
http://www.hubcom.com/channel/soho/shop/paradi/paradi.htm
	Soho Shops

http://www.ghost.co.uk/shani/cybersex.htm
	Getting it wrong on IRC

http://www.webdevelop.com/~suzanne/home2.htm
	Swinging Parties

http://www.idiscover.co.uk/jewels/Pr-fr-ch.htm
	Press for Change

http://www.phszx81.demon.co.uk/munch/
	Paul Harrison's UK #bdsm munches list

http://artbitch.com/darkside/gallstrt.htm
	Giga's Art
	
http://home.rednet.co.uk/homepages/hgames/directry/frameb.html
	'massage' in the UK

------------------------------


Subject: 7.2.5 UK BDSM bulletin boards, talkers, IRC channels, etc.

irc://ircnet/bdsm-uk
	http://www.netmania.co.uk/enquirer/slavery.html
	http://www.fetish-net.org.uk/bdsm-uk.html

irc://dalnet/submissionUK
	http://www.obscure.u-net.com/welcome.htm

irc://dalnet/subUK_scenes
	(allied with submissionUK which is a non-scene channel)

irc://dalnet/spankingUK

irc://ircnet/gaysmuk
        http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~garrick/warn.html

irc://dalnet/SecretMagazine
	http://www.secretmag.com/seconirc.htm

http://www.moonman.demon.co.uk/chat.htm
	Moonman's chat room

http://www.mrs-silk.com/chat.htm
	Mrs Silk's chat room

http://members.aol.com/dominionuk/ukussubdom.htm
http://members.aol.com/sublondfem/D-sPage/Index.htm#SocialBits
	AOL's UK-US Dom-sub chat room and meets

See ans 3.1.2 for non-UK specific BDSM channels.
See ans 2.9 for more general information about IRC.

------------------------------


Subject: 7.3.5 Liberty. UK anti-censorship campaign. Leydig trust.

http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~sfc/
	Sexual Freedom Coalition

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~liberty/index.html
	Liberty

------------------------------ End of part 3/3