‘The true essence of BDSM is radical open communication’

Cate Starr, a Psychology lecturer and postgraduate research student at the University of Derby, is giving a free talk in Leicester next month exploring BDSM (bondage-discipline, dominance, submission, and sado-masochism) – including the laws surrounding it and its impacts on men and women.

Ella Rhodes asked her about it.

What will your talk cover?

My talk title is Unmasking the Vanilla Gaze: How the othering of sexual divergence has impacted the law. It will summarise what the 'vanilla gaze' is, and why it is more broadly important to psychology. I'll talk about Operation Spanner, in which a consensual group of homosexual men's BDSM tapes led to arrests, charging dominants with assault and submissives with aiding criminals. Although legal proceedings reduced the charges these cases established that self-injury or death couldn't be consented to, which has had an impact on convictions. I'll also touch on how cinema relating to BDSM has impacted the law to create a loophole for men to have lighter sentences after femicide. Finally, I'll discuss how psychologists can better understand people who practice BDSM.

How did you first become interested in this area?

As a child, my siblings and I, had a pretty gender-neutral upbringing. It wasn't until I was becoming a parent that I properly noticed how different the world is for males and females. Then I went to the University of Derby and became fascinated with social psychology and how gender might be social rather than biological (which fits with my world view). Whilst researching the topic, I found that men were often perceived as dominant, and women as submissive. This led me to explore the roles of domination and submission within BDSM, specifically focusing on women.

What still needs to change in this area?

There are two main things. Firstly, the law. Currently the Domestic Abuse Act states that people cannot consent to serious death or injury. This aims to protect people from domestic violence, and although it could be argued that this can impact people who practice BDSM, I think it is a generally good law. The issue comes about because, in many cases where men have killed their intimate partner, they have had a reduced, or no, sentence because they have used a legal loophole colloquially termed the 'Fifty Shades Defence'. This defence blames victims for their own deaths, most of which include heinous injuries that no one would consent to. Women should have the right to indulge in BDSM practices without threat of serious injury or death, and if they are harmed their attackers should be held accountable. The second issue, which links with the first, is that media portray women who practice BDSM as 'asking for it', a trope that should be long dead.

Could you tell us something that might surprise someone not familiar with this area of work?

Often BDSM is associated with sexuality, but from my research, it is not. Rather it is something separate which can be used to enhance sex but can also be applied across all areas of life. The true essence of BDSM is radical open communication, which builds trust and allows participants to feel truly safe and authentic with the other person or people involved.

What do you hope people will take away from your talk?

I hope that people, especially those who work in therapeutic settings, will see BDSM as something that can be positive for people. Even though the DSM has removed it as a pathology, a lot of participants still feel stigma around the practice, and this is not helped by the media which continues to pathologise it.

Find out more

Cate Starr's talk, Unmasking the Vanilla Gaze: How the othering of sexual divergence has impacted the law, will be held on Friday 10 November from 6pm to 8pm at the British Psychological Society's office at St Andrew's House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester, LE1 7DR.

Entry is free but registration is required.

Register to attend this event here