Introduction
Today’s worlds represent a rapidly changing environment regarding sexuality and sexual practices. Sexual orientation has been pluralized with diverse sexual practices characterized as non-normative. The LGBTQ community makes up a minority sexual group that does not conform to non-traditional sexual preferences and practices. Traditionally, society has encouraged individuals to conform to masculinity and femineity, which dictates a natural flow of gender and sexuality from birth. The societal norm enforces heteronormativity, where same-sex attraction is considered peculiar. Based on traditional assumptions, the LGBTQ community practicing BDSM faces many societal challenges, including discrimination, limited career opportunities, and alienation from family and friends. Health professionals have pathologized the minority sexual group and considered the population mentally disturbed because they challenge cultural ideologies. To that end, there is a need to take action to support the sexual preferences and practices of the minority sex group to promote equality and safe exploration of one’s sexual desire. This paper discusses the experiences of the LGBTQ community practicing BDSM in society and private groups and provides insights for health workers on proper services provision and support of the population.
Terminologies
BDSM is an umbrella acronym describing aspects of sex involving dominance, control, and submission. The BDSM community enjoys sexual pleasure by inflicting or receiving pain, deprivation, role-playing, humiliation, having power over the other partner, or bondage (Speciale & Khambatta, 2020). The acronym stands for bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, and sadomasochism. LGBTQ is an acronym describing distinct sexual orientations: lesbianism, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and questioning. Sexual orientations describe individuals with the same sexual attraction, behavior, lifestyle preferences, sexual fantasies, and identification. As a sexual practice involving diverse and non-normative sexual practices, BDSM can be interchanged with the term kinky, associated with unconventional sexual ideologies and practices. Thus, the term will be interchanged throughout the paper to mean BDSM.
Stigmatization
LGBTQ individuals who practice BDSM experience stigmatization due to misunderstandings and assumptions from society and healthcare practitioners. The stigma surrounding kinky LGBTQ results from a misinterpretation of BDSM sexual activities such as humiliation, dominance, and pain, which goes against traditional norms of sex which believe the act should involve expressions of tenderness and romance (Halpin et al., 2020). According to De Neef et al. (2019), women from the minority sex group practicing BDSM face higher stigmatization attitudes leading to less sexual emancipation than men. The women experience physical assault, social rejection, and rejection in educational and religious groups. Some individuals from the minority sex group have induced self-stigma due to internalizing society’s negativity, discrimination, and prejudice against the non-traditional sex orientation and kinky practice (McCave et al., 2019). In adverse cases, the individuals become suicidal and socially isolated. Since the kinky female population faces more stigmatization than males, they have a higher suicide rate than men.
Access to Safe Spaces
Regardless of societal discrimination and stigmatization, the LGBTQ community has found safe spaces in the kink community. The BDSM population has public clubs where people meet and engage in kink play, offering education, support, and mutual understanding of diverse sexualities. Many LGBTQ individuals identify with the BDSM community to find mutual support and explore diverse sexual practices. According to Halpin et al. (2020) survey, LGBTQ couples are more into BDSM sex than straight couples. Being a member of the BDSM group gives the minority sex group a sense of belonging, empowerment, and sexual liberation, which makes sex more pleasurable and satisfying. LGBTQ persons feel welcomed in BDSM communities where they can engage in group sex and bond with others with the same sexual orientation.
The clubs promote creativity and exploration of diverse sexual practices, enabling LGBTQ communities to find enhanced satisfaction with their partners. Speciale and Khambatta (2020) note that LGBTQ members in the BDSM community have a substantially higher play frequency than heterosexual ones. Kinky sex allows the minority sex group to explore personal boundaries and fulfill their sexual fantasies and identities through role play. In practicing kinky sex, the sexual activity becomes psychological rather than physical, enabling people identifying as asexual to be intimate and find sexual pleasure (Sprott et al. 2020). Further, BDSM communities enable LGBTQ individuals in sex education where they can learn and understand safe sex and aftercare practices.
Individuals from the minority sexual group practicing kinky sex experience challenge disclosing their sexual preference to their partners who are not open to kinkiness and diverse sexual orientations. In Boyd-Rogers and Maddox’s (2022) research, kinky LGBTQ state that meeting a significant other outside the kinky community is complex and requires much explanation, which the partner may take positively or negatively. The fear of rejection has led many to find a partner in the BDSM clubs because they share similar values and mutual preferences for exploring diverse sexual practices.
Access to Healthcare Services
The LGBTQ community practicing BDSM experiences challenges accessing essential healthcare services. Factors that contribute to limited medical services include lack of insurance cover, financial constraints, and limited resources and facilities in the health facility. At the same time, individuals from the community practicing BDSM report receiving judgment from community health workers and health care professionals (Halpin et al., 2020). In line with the findings, kinky LGBTQ patients often look for non-discrimination clues before attending a facility, such as staff attitudes, gender-neutral areas, and posters against sex-related discrimination. Thus, limited resources and practitioners’ attitudes significantly influence the health and well-being of the minority sex group.
Notably, the kinky LGBTQ community sometimes feels that health practitioners have insufficient knowledge and skills in caring for them. Some clinicians cannot determine the differences between injuries inflicted during BDSM and abuse leading to misdiagnosis (McCave et al., 2019). De Neef et al. (2019) research indicates that revealing one’s sexual orientation, identity, and BDSM preferences to psychotherapists can be dangerous. Therapists perceive BDSM as brutal sex and view the practitioners as mentally disturbed or psychologically unhealthy (Speciale & Khambatta, 2020). With such barriers and assumptions, the kink LGBTQ community does not receive adequate healthcare attention, while others avoid visiting health services for fear of discrimination and judgment.
Healing and Spirituality
Individuals from the minority sexual group practicing BDSM note that the kinky practice promotes healing, personal growth, and spirituality. The BDSM culture provides an immense reflection on sexuality, relationships s, and sexual interactions, which offer spiritual support and connection. In Muzacz (2021) research, the findings show that many LGBTQ individuals practice kinky sex for pleasure, while a significant population finds healing and personal growth from the practice. The findings align with De Neef et al. (2019), stating that BDSM communities offer stimulated and celebrated participation, which creates positivity from trauma and stigmatization. According to Sprott et al. (2020), BDSM practitioners can enhance sexual pleasure by facilitating spiritual experiences connecting to the emotional aspect of sexual activities. Group sexual activities allow social interactions and bonding to transcend sexual experiences, which gives the minority sexual group a sense of spiritual and kindred connectedness.
LGBTQ practicing BDSM appreciates the practice as it provides healing from mental challenges, abuse, trauma, physical disabilities, and issues of self-stigmatization. An investigation of BDSM scenes and spiritual experiences shows that elements of submission, pain, and dominance can have sacred links which enhance one’s spiritual growth and connection (Muzacz, 2021). Therefore, BDSM provides self-exploration and healing among the LGBTQ community, which helps in their overall health, identity, and sexual satisfaction.
Effective Healthcare Practices for LGBTQ Populations Practicing BDSM
Taking care of the LGBTQ community practicing BDSM requires understanding and an open mind to dealing with their unique needs without biases. Historically, the minority sexual community has encountered challenging experiences accessing adequate healthcare due to perceived and unconscious biases. Nonetheless, being compassionate and considerate to minority sexual groups can enhance better healthcare, support, and counseling for the population (Tuller, 2020). Therapists working with the LGBTQ population in BDSM should emphasize the importance of non-judgmental attitudes. Clinicians should know the sexual practices and orientation of the minority sex community and respect their values and sexual diversity. Dunkley & Brotto (2018) recommend that health and wellness services recognize BDSM as a standard sexual practice and find approaches to differentiating sexual abuse from kinky injuries. Simultaneously, healthcare providers should raise awareness and advocacy efforts in society that offer counsel regarding the LGBTQ community engaging in kinky sexual activities (Jones et al., 2017). Creating awareness can help the public learn about the practice and sexual orientation to dispel societal myths and assumptions that cause misunderstanding about the minority sex group.
Healthcare providers should understand that the population faces much societal pressure, discrimination, sexual behavior, and insufficient access to health services. Stigmatization and trauma have been identified as significant challenges in LGBTQ individuals practicing BDSM. Therefore, they need counseling and psychological support when experiencing the difficulties of social rejection, discrimination, and social alienation due to their sexual preferences. At the same time, counselors need to help the LGBTQ community practicing BDSM raise issues concerning their health and well-being, such as coming out and overcoming societal pressure to live according to traditional sexual practices and orientation (Tuller, 2020). Further, the minority sex population needs counseling on safety, boundaries, and communication during kinky sex to provide a safe space for LGBTQ individuals with particular sex orientations, such as gay and lesbians.
Medical professionals should consider the healthcare needs of the queer community and give them the best care without sexual or gender inequalities. Healthcare providers should ensure privacy and confidentiality when treating kinky LQBTQ patients. Most individuals from the sexual orientation and identity community are secretive about their sexual preferences and practices and need assurance that the care provider keeps the medical information sexual private (Dunkley & Brotto). Creating an open and non-judgmental environment can help patients disclose their concerns and ask questions that promote safe and healthy sexual interactions. The environment can increase the likelihood of seeking timely care for kinky-associated injuries and avoid long-term complications. A sexual healthcare provider has the role of assisting patients in understanding how individual health profiles can affect kink practices and transgender interactions (Jones et al., 2017). Providing the information helps in safety measures that reduce kinky-associated injuries and promote the exploration of individual sexuality.
How This Literature Review May Challenge Students’ Assumptions
The literature establishes that the number of LGBTQ people practicing kinky sex is more significant than that of straight couples. BDSM among the minority sex group is preferred because it offers a safe space to exercise individual sexual orientation and fulfill fantasies through role-playing. The data gathered eliminates students’ assumption that BDSM is a violent sexual practice that can cause more injuries to the minority sexual population than heteronormative couples. Sprott et al. (2020) study confirms that LGBTQ men report higher levels of sexual satisfaction in the BDSM context than non-BDSM. Although women report similar sexual experiences in kinky and non-kinky sexual activities, they prefer engaging in BDSM group activities because of the freedom to explore diverse sexual practices. The common assumption that kinky sex and role-playing may be abusive to the minority sexual group is a misconception from societal views and bias. The BDSM community values individual preference and consent before engaging in any activity. The LGBTQ community feels safe and in control of their actions, given the safe word used by BDSM practitioners. All parties can participate and be dominant or submissive, depending on the negotiations beforehand.
Conclusion
There has been a considerable gain in recognizing LGBTQ populations engaged in kinky sexual practices. Despite the extensive knowledge, various communities, institutions, and individuals view sexual orientation and practices negatively, influencing their behavior towards the population. The minority sexual group faces many challenges from society, safe spaces to practice their sexual orientation and preferences, specialized healthcare services, and attitudes from medical professionals. Although the community finds safety in the BDSM clubs, they need more support and understanding from society and health institutions. Health workers are responsible for clarifying the misinterpretations and assumptions regarding sexuality and non-normative sexual practices. At the same time, the populations need access to proper medical attention that caters to their unique sexual orientation and BDSM practices. Healthcare workers should follow the clinical practice discussed because they provide basic healthcare practices that may be helpful when attending to individuals from the minority sexual community.
References
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