Pursed Lips

BDSM groups running into conservative backlashes when they try to host one of their annual gatherings. It most often happens when their events meets the hotel industry. Mind you, the hotel industry isn’t the problem; it welcomes our business. It’s the locals, sometimes backed by national conservative groups, putting pressure on the hotel when they rent to us. And they’ve found a major weak point that works against us: Liquor license ordinances which govern not only who gets a license but what public behaviors are permissible in places where liquor is served. Basically, whatever ordinances govern titty bars can be applied to any event that’s held in a place that holds a liquor license.

Threats to make good on those ordinances have forced the Black Rose organization to cancel its immensely popular annual gathering, and it’s at least the third such event predicament I’ve seen in as many years. TESFEST 30, held in New Jersey, had its run-in over liquor ordinances. The Southern Ohio Leatherfest at the last minute had to switch the location of its event when the hotel caved to conservative pressure. And now Black Rose with its premiere event.

Kudos, however, go out to hotel manager Jon Tremellen, an unsung hero in my book. Repeatedly, he treated Black Rose more than fairly and became something of an unexpected spokesman before the press, standing kink-sensitive in the face of local hysteria. Thank you, Mr. Tremellen, for your open mindedness and even handedness. If I ever get to Ocean City, I’m staying at your hotel.

It’s too bad Ocean City won’t see the influx of 2,000 kinksters in November. Frankly, we’re far better behaved than your average drunken party convention. We aren’t spring breakers and we don’t wreck property. We don’t limit ourselves to the hotel; we get out and spread our money around town. We’re as communal as bikers at a rally — and I bet Ocean City doesn’t turn them away.

Now, Black Rose had several coincidental disadvantages in trying to bring its event to Ocean City, MD. I understand that both a youth counselors convention and Baptist/Methodist regional conventions were going to be in town around the same time, the latter of which decided to stay and protest Black Rose’s presence. And what pressure conservative locals brought to government representatives escalated to the point that Ocean City’s police chief refused to allow off-duty police to hire out as security for the Black Rose event, something that in the past had served us well as bridge building between the S/M community and police forces. (Historically, outreach to the police force has driven home by example the difference between kinky gatherings of fun and intentional law breaking.) Finally, the situation escalated to the point where a detective from the county ABC board said he had every intent of scrutinizing the event and enforcing the liquor ordinances. Black Rose was on the precipice of becoming another TESFEST 30.

It’s not my intention to rain on TESFEST 30. I draw the parallel here because TESFEST 30 may well prove to be the watershed event where our weak spot became obvious to all. And now conservative forces are going to apply pressure to that weak spot wherever possible throughout in the United States.

Yes, I know: We consider our events private, off-limits to all but registered attendees. But the general public doesn’t. When BDSM comes out of bedrooms and private play spaces and into hotels, it’s in their faces. We activists have our work cut out for us. Starting with those liquor ordinances.

More links on Friday, but for now, in an albeit small gesture, color Pursed Lips leather.