So, how's your local community?

So, how's your local community?

evergrey​(sub female){Ashigeru} • Nov 27, 2017

Do you go out into real life meatspace and interact with your local kink community?
Is there one?
What's it like?
How accepting towards kink is the area you live in?
Is your kink community healthy and supportive?

MsNevermore​(other female) • Nov 28, 2017

Yes I do. Munches mostly but there are a few private parties throughout the year.
The group in the area I live now are great. Very open and helpful and/or wanting to learn.
The areas is the belt buckle of the bible belt so accepting and receptitve of the community is not happening.
For as small as my local group is we are very heathly, helpful and happy to support one another.
Do we have squabbles yes but we talk them out.

evergrey​(sub female){Ashigeru} • Nov 28, 2017

That's really great to hear! Yay! <3

DrWakko • Nov 28, 2017

Over the years I have had the pleasure of experiencing several different communities.

Everett and Renton, WA both have at least one active and major munch a month. As well as play parties after the munch (or did when I was there). Both munches had about 30 plus people when I attended. These people were and are very friendly and willing to help you on your kink journey.

Redding / Chico, CA: This is currently my home group. Munches get about 30 people (in Redding) and 20 (in Chico). Not a lot of education here since most are Top / bottom.

Sacramento, CA: This area has a very active munch scene. They have / had over 22 munches in a month and most munch theme are duplicated (they have 4 different rope munches). Some knowledgeable people out of Sacramento, but I left when the area was imploding on itself and haven't headed back in since.

Reno, NV: They have a handful of munches every month. With solid groups running things drama is kept to a minimum. This area is mostly identify as Leather and this area is big into education. I attend munches and events there when I can.

Bunnie • Nov 29, 2017

I wouldn’t say I’m an active community member, but I participate when I can... munches, pp etc. Although it’s a very small community where I live, it’s a really supportive and encouraging one. A great group of people that I’ve met so far.

evergrey​(sub female){Ashigeru} • Nov 29, 2017

Gonna answer my own post now!

*Do you go out into real life meatspace and interact with your local kink community?
Yep, once or twice a week, usually. Been in the community about 20 years now.

*Is there one?
Oh, yes! This is the San Francisco bay area!

What's it like?
I truly feel that we are the kink capitol of the world. Two public dungeons in the city, as well as a skeevy bathouse dungeon, lol. Multiple dungeons in other parts of the bay area. I'm not even sure how many munches. Classes and organizations galore! And at the heart of our community, we have Wicked Grounds, a cafe by and for kinky folks, bolstered by community support, providing a safe space for all. Hell, they even have dog bowls people can drink out of. I've been suspended from the ceiling there, lol! We also have Folson Street Fair and Dore Alley, as well as Dark Odyssey, which is a kink convention. There are a number of Kink BnB spaces, as well as a number of pro dom Houses. In the city itself, you can often see folks from the Leather community openly walking around in said leathers. Mr S Leather has their brick and mortar here, as well as Leather Etc. The Society of Janus, Foundations, Leathermen of SF, and a bunch of other organizations are here.

How accepting towards kink is the area you live in?
Some jobs and custody cases would still be in danger if the people in them were outed, but overall, it is VERY accepting.
Put it this way- the city of San Francisco has a big trunk full of leather pride banners that they hang twice a year, and there are leather pride art pieces on the streets, as well as permanent monuments for the leather and BDSM community.

Is your kink community healthy and supportive?

Overall, YES! Sure, there are always predators trying to come in, and sometimes we have high school style clique issues with the "in" crowd, but the scene is so massive that one can always find good folks easily enough. There is a lot of emphasis on education, communication, and support. I love my community, and it's one of the reasons I hang on here despite it being insanely expensive to live in the bay area.

BottomKatie • Dec 7, 2017

Do you go out into real life meatspace and interact with your local kink community?

I go to rope when we have it and a munch most Fridays.

Is there one?

Absolutely. We have a rope education group that generally meets once a week, two munches specifically for certain demographics, a discussion group that meets once a month, a Little's group that hosts events, one weekly munch, and munch that meets twice a month.

What's it like?

There's drama like there is in most places. It's just a matter of finding your place and the people you feel comfortable with. All of my friends come from the local community. There's very few I dislike. It's not a bad community by any means, just divided in some ways.

How accepting towards kink is the area you live in?

From what I understand, not very. I'm pretty positive my employers wouldn't care but I know several others who would.

Is your kink community healthy and supportive?

Supportive, yes. The people I play with are healthy but the community in general? Not so much.

evergrey​(sub female){Ashigeru} • Dec 9, 2017

Thank you Katie! I'm pretty curious about Washington, really, as some years in the future my Master and I may be moving up to the Bellingham area.

LoneWolf​(masochist male) • Jan 14, 2018

I was last active in the community when I lived in Baltimore. There's everything from nightclubs to, private parties, to a tight knit group of kinky folk that host regular munches providing a clean space for anyone new looking to meet new friends.

Sadly in southwest Virginia, there's no real "community." It's very "bible belt" here also.

Asteria​(neither female) • Jan 14, 2018

I wish it was that easy in Poland. Honestly I do not know about any existing community, not to mention munches and so on.
I know there are places where one can take part in private parties, but they are like Yeti - you might hear of them, but won't see them.
And I do not have high hopes - while some part of society in Poland (sadly - quite big part) still has trouble accepting, for example, homosexual couples, BDSM is something that probably would make most of people blush, but they would not want to have anything to do with it (and of course I am talking about _real_ BDSM, not the kind one can watch in 50 shades of whatever it is).

So nope, I have never been a part of any community and chances that I will be are rather poor.