Editing BDSM (section)

== History ==
=== Origins ===
[[File:Tomba Della Fustigazione.jpg|thumb|A [[fresco]] in the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] [[Tomb of the Whipping]], 5th century BC|215x215px]]
[[File:Sm2.jpg|thumb|289x289px|Copper engraving, about 1780]]
[[File:Édouard-Henri Avril (8).jpg|thumb|320x320px|Flagellation scene, illustration to ''[[Fanny Hill]]'' by [[Édouard-Henri Avril]], 1907]]

Practices of BDSM survive from some of the oldest textual records in the world, associated with rituals to the goddess [[Inanna]] ([[Ishtar]] in [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]). [[Cuneiform script|Cuneiform]] texts dedicated to Inanna which incorporate domination rituals. In particular, she points to ancient writings such as Inanna and Ebih (in which the goddess dominates Ebih), and Hymn to Inanna describing cross-dressing transformations and rituals "imbued with pain and ecstasy, bringing about initiation and journeys of altered states of consciousness; punishment, moaning, ecstasy, lament and song, participants exhausting themselves in weeping and grief."<ref>Nomis, Anne O. (2013) ''The History & Arts of the Dominatrix'' Mary Egan Publishing and Anna Nomis Ltd {{ISBN|978-0-9927010-0-0}} pp. 59-60</ref><ref>"Lady of the Largest Heart" or "A Hymn to Inana C" available at Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, University of Oxford http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr4073.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405163440/http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr4073.htm |date=5 April 2014 }} lines 80-90</ref>

During the 9th century BC, [[Flagellation#Association with religion|ritual flagellations]] were performed in [[Artemis Orthia]], one of the most important religious areas of ancient [[Sparta]], where the [[Cult of Orthia]], a pre-[[Olympic Gods|Olympic]] religion, was practiced. Here, ritual flagellation called ''diamastigosis'' took place, in which young adolescent men were whipped in a ceremony overseen by the priestess.<ref>Nomis, Anne O. (2013) "The Ancient Dominatrix Goddess and her Priestess Initiates" in ''The History & Arts of the Dominatrix'' Mary Egan Publishing and Anna Nomis Ltd, pp. 61-62</ref> These are referred to by a number of ancient authors, including [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanius]] (III, 16: 10–11).<ref>Pausanias III, 16: 10-11 viewable at: http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias3B.html#16 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222224030/http://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias3B.html#16 |date=22 December 2013 }}</ref>

One of the oldest graphical proofs of sadomasochistic activities is found in the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] [[Tomb of the Whipping]] near [[Tarquinia]], which dates to the 5th century BC. Inside the tomb, there is a [[fresco]] which portrays two men who flagellate a woman with a cane and a hand during an erotic situation.<ref>Mario Moretti/Leonard von Matt: ''Etruskische Malerei in Tarquinia''. Cologne 1974, Page 90, figs. 762-63, {{ISBN|978-3-7701-0541-0}}</ref> Another reference related to flagellation is to be found in the sixth book of the ''[[Satires (Juvenal)|Satires]]'' of the ancient Roman Poet [[Juvenal]] (1st–2nd century A.D.),<ref>[[Juvenal]]: [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/juvenal-satvi.html Satires 6, Lines 474–511] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511081242/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/juvenal-satvi.html |date=11 May 2008 }}</ref> further reference can be found in [[Petronius]]'s ''[[Satyricon]]'' where a delinquent is whipped for sexual arousal.<ref>[http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/petronius.html Petronius: Satyricon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130090038/http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/petronius.html |date=30 January 2008 }} (lat.)</ref> Anecdotal narratives related to humans who have had themselves voluntary bound, flagellated or whipped as a substitute for sex or as part of foreplay reach back to the 3rd and 4th century BC.{{Citation needed|date=September 2012}}
[[File:Dresseuses d'Hommes 3.jpg|thumb|305x305px|A woman flogging a man wearing stockings and heels, as a couple observe, from ''Dresseuses d'Hommes'' (1931)]]
In Pompeii, a whip-mistress figure with wings is depicted on the wall of the [[Villa of the Mysteries|Villa of Mysteries]], as part of an initiation of a young woman into the [[Mystery religion|Mysteries]]. The whip-mistress role drove the sacred initiation of ceremonial death and rebirth.<ref name="Nomis, Anne O. 2013 pp.62-64">Nomis, Anne O. (2013) "The Whipstress and the Mysteries" in ''The History & Arts of the Dominatrix'' Mary Egan Publishing & Anna Nomis Ltd, U.K. {{ISBN|978-0-9927010-0-0}} pp.62-64</ref> The archaic Greek [[Aphrodite]] may too once have been armed with an implement, with archaeological evidence of armed Aphrodites known from a number of locations in Cythera, Acrocorinth and Sparta,<ref>Pausanias refers to them as being at the sanctuary of Aphrodite Urania in Cythera, a temple of Aphrodite on Acrocorinth's summit, and an ancient temple to Aphrodite with an upper story in Sparta. See Pausanias III, 23:1, II, 5:1, III, 15:10.</ref> and which may have been a whip.<ref name="Nomis, Anne O. 2013 pp.62-64"/>

The ''[[Kama Sutra]]'' of India describes four different kinds of hitting during lovemaking, the allowed regions of the human body to target and different kinds of joyful "cries of pain" practiced by bottoms. The collection of historic texts related to sensuous experiences explicitly emphasizes that [[impact play]], biting and pinching during sexual activities should only be performed consensually since only some women consider such behavior to be joyful. From this perspective, the Kama Sutra can be considered one of the first written resources dealing with sadomasochistic activities and safety rules. Further texts with sadomasochistic connotation appear worldwide during the following centuries on a regular basis.<ref>''Kamasutra'' by Mallanaga Vatsyayana, translated by Wendy Doniger, Oxford University Press 2003, {{ISBN|978-0-19-283982-4}} Book II: Chapters 4, 5, 7, 8, pages 45–64.</ref>

There are anecdotal reports of people willingly being bound or whipped, as a prelude to or substitute for sex, during the 14th century. The medieval phenomenon of [[courtly love]] in all of its slavish devotion and ambivalence has been suggested by some writers to be a precursor of BDSM.<ref>Denis de Rougemont (1956), ''Love in the Western World: Describing the ideal of chaste love influenced by the [[Cathar]] doctrines''</ref><ref>Arne Hoffmann: ''In Leder gebunden. Der Sadomasochismus in der Weltliteratur'', page 11, Ubooks 2007, {{ISBN|978-3-86608-078-2}} (German)</ref> Some sources{{who|date=August 2014}} claim that BDSM as a distinct form of sexual behavior originated at the beginning of the 18th century when Western civilization began medically and legally categorizing sexual behavior (see [[#Etymology|Etymology]]).

Flagellation practiced within an erotic setting has been recorded from at least the 1590s evidenced by a [[John Davies (poet, born 1569)|John Davies]] epigram,<ref>Epigram 33: "In Francum"</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bromley|first=James M.|date=1 May 2010|title=Social Relations and Masochistic Sexual Practice in The Nice Valour|journal=Modern Philology|volume=107|issue=#4|pages=556–587|doi=10.1086/652428|s2cid=144194164|issn=0026-8232}}</ref> and references to "flogging schools" in [[Thomas Shadwell]]'s ''[[The Virtuoso (play)|The Virtuoso]]'' (1676) and Tim Tell-Troth's ''Knavery of Astrology'' (1680).<ref>Jones, M (2007) "Print of the Month: The Cully Flaug'd" in ''British Printed Images (BPI) to 1700'', viewable at: http://www.bpi1700.org.uk/research/printOfTheMonth/december2007.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224101112/http://www.bpi1700.org.uk/research/printOfTheMonth/december2007.html |date=24 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>Nomis, Anne O. (2013) "Flogging Schools and Their Cullies" in ''The History & Arts of the Dominatrix'' Mary Egan Publishing and Anna Nomis Ltd, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-9927010-0-0}} pp.80-81</ref> Visual evidence such as mezzotints and print media is also identified revealing scenes of flagellation, such as "The Cully Flaug'd" from the British Museum collection.<ref>Jones, M. (2007) "Print of the Month: The Cully Flaug'd" in British Printed Images (BPI) to 1700, Viewable at: http://www.bpi1700.org.uk/research/printOfTheMonth/december2007.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224101112/http://www.bpi1700.org.uk/research/printOfTheMonth/december2007.html |date=24 December 2013 }} & ibid.</ref>

[[John Cleland]]'s novel ''[[Fanny Hill]]'', published in 1749, incorporates a flagellation scene between the character's protagonist Fanny Hill and Mr Barville.<ref>John Cleland: ''Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure'', Penguin Classics, (7 January 1986), {{ISBN|978-0-14-043249-7}} Page 180 ff</ref> A large number of flagellation publications followed, including ''[[Fashionable Lectures: Composed and Delivered with Birch Discipline]]'' ({{circa|1761}}), promoting the names of women offering the service in a lecture room with rods and cat o' nine tails.<ref>''Fashionable Lectures Delivered With Birch Discipline'' (c. 1761) British Library Rare Books, cited in Nomis (2013) op cit.</ref>

[[File: Bizarre Honeymoon 02.jpg|thumb|265x265px|[[Foot worship]] of one of the feet of a [[dominatrix]] by a submissive man. Her other foot rests over the man's head, using it as a [[footstool]] ([[human furniture]]). This sketch is from a 1950 work named ''Bizarre Honeymoon''.]]

Other sources give a broader definition, citing BDSM-like behavior in earlier times and other cultures, such as the medieval flagellates and the physical [[ordeal ritual]]s of some [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] societies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ordeals1.html|title=European medieval ordeals|access-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814182655/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ordeals1.html|archive-date=14 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

BDSM ideas and imagery have existed on the fringes of Western culture throughout the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tomazos|first1=Kostas|last2=O'Gorman|first2=Kevin|last3=MacLaren|first3=Andrew C|date=June 2017|title=From leisure to tourism: How BDSM demonstrates the transition of deviant pursuits to mainstream products|journal=Tourism Management|volume=60|pages=30–41|doi=10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.018|url=https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/58212/1/Tomazos_etal_TM_2017_BDSM_demonstrates_the_transition_of_deviant_pursuits_to_mainstream_products.pdf|access-date=15 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715162357/https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/58212/1/Tomazos_etal_TM_2017_BDSM_demonstrates_the_transition_of_deviant_pursuits_to_mainstream_products.pdf|archive-date=15 July 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Robert Bienvenu attributes the origins of modern BDSM to three sources, which he names as "European Fetish" (from 1928), "American Fetish" (from 1934), and "Gay Leather" (from 1950).<ref>[http://www.americanfetish.net/sexresearch.us/Dissertation.html Robert Bienvenu: Doctoral Dissertation "The Development of Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style in the Twentieth-Century United States"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316215717/http://www.americanfetish.net/sexresearch.us/Dissertation.html |date=16 March 2010 }}</ref> Another source are the [[sexual game]]s played in [[brothel]]s, which go back to the 19th century, if not earlier. [[Charles Guyette]] was the first American to produce and distribute fetish related material (costumes, footwear, photography, props and accessories) in the U.S. His successor, [[Irving Klaw]], produced commercial sexploitation film and photography with a BDSM theme (most notably with [[Bettie Page]]) and issued fetish comics (known then as "chapter serials") by the now-iconic artists [[John Willie]], [[Gene Bilbrew]], and [[Eric Stanton]].

Stanton's model [[Bettie Page]] became at the same time one of the first successful models in the area of fetish photography and one of the most famous [[pin-up girl]]s of American mainstream culture. Italian author and designer [[Guido Crepax]] was deeply influenced by him, coining the style and development of European adult comics in the second half of the 20th century. The artists [[Helmut Newton]] and [[Robert Mapplethorpe]] are the most prominent examples of the increasing use of BDSM-related motives in modern photography and the public discussions still resulting from this.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20021112205909/http://www.uce.ac.uk/mapplethorpe/ University of Central England in Birmingham]: Attempted Confiscation of Mapplethorn book by Officials in 1997 for being obscene.</ref>

[[Alfred Binet]] first coined the term ''[[erotic fetishism]]'' in his 1887 book, ''Du fétichisme dans l'amour''<ref>Binet, A. (1887). "Du fétichisme dans l'amour" [=Fetishism in love] in: ''Revue Philosophique'', 24, pp. 143–167</ref> [[Richard von Krafft-Ebing]] saw BDSM interests as the end of a continuum.<ref>von Krafft-Ebing, R. ''Psychopathia sexualis with especial reference to the antipathic sexual instinct: A medico-forensic study''. Trans Rebman FJ from 12th German ed. New York: Special Books; 1965:129– 218, 533–543</ref>

=== Leather movement ===
{{Main|Leather subculture}}
[[File:Cologne Germany Cologne-Gay-Pride-2014 Parade-13.jpg|thumb|Leathermen participating in the [[Cologne Pride|Cologne Pride Parade]], 2014]]
Leather has been a predominantly gay male term to refer to one [[Sexual fetishism|fetish]], but it can stand for many more. Members of the gay male leather community may wear leathers such as motorcycle leathers, or may be attracted to men wearing leather. Leather and BDSM are seen as two parts of one whole. Much of the BDSM culture can be traced back to the gay male [[Leather subculture|leather culture]], which formalized itself out of the group of men who were soldiers returning home after World War II (1939–1945).<ref>Robert Bienvenu, ''The Development of Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style in the Twentieth-Century United States'', 2003, Doctoral Dissertation, Online as PDF on [http://www.americanfetish.net/ Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116091202/http://www.americanfetish.net/ |date=16 November 2007 }}</ref> World War II was the setting where countless homosexual men and women tasted the life among homosexual peers. Post-war, homosexual individuals congregated in larger cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. They formed leather clubs and bike clubs; some were fraternal services. The establishment of Mr. Leather Contest and Mr. Drummer Contest were made around this time. This was the genesis of the gay male leather community. Many of the members were attracted to extreme forms of sexuality, for which peak expression was in the pre-AIDS 1970s.<ref name="a4b" >{{cite journal | last1 = Lenius | first1 = S | year = 2001 | title = Bisexuals and BDSM | journal = Journal of Bisexuality | volume = 1 | issue = #4| pages = 69–78 | doi=10.1300/j159v01n04_06| s2cid = 142599575 }}</ref> This subculture is epitomized by the ''Leatherman's Handbook'' by [[Larry Townsend]], published in 1972, which describes in detail the practices and culture of gay male sadomasochists in the late 1960s and early 1970s.<ref>Townsend, Larry, ''The Leatherman's Handbook'', 1972 Olympia Press, seventh edition 2004 available from L.T. Publications, P.O. Box 302, Beverly Hills, California 90213-0302</ref><ref>compare [[Patrick Califia]] (ed.), Robin Sweeney (ed.): ''The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader''. Alyson Pubns., 1996, {{ISBN|978-1-55583-281-0}}</ref>
In the early 1980s, lesbians also joined the leathermen as a recognizable element of the gay leather community. They also formed leather clubs, but there were some gender differences, such as the absence of leatherwomen's bars. In 1981, the publication of ''[[Coming to Power]]'' by lesbian-feminist group [[Samois]] led to a greater knowledge and acceptance of BDSM in the lesbian community.<ref>[[Gayle Rubin]]: "Samois", ''Leather Times'', 21:3–7., 2004, available from: [http://www.leatherarchives.org/resources/issue21.pdf leatherarchives.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327070824/http://www.leatherarchives.org/resources/issue21.pdf |date=27 March 2009 }}</ref> By the 1990s, the gay men's and women's leather communities were no longer underground and played an important role in the kink community.<ref name="a4b" />

Today, the leather movement is generally seen as a part of the BDSM-culture instead of as a development deriving from gay subculture, even if a huge part of the BDSM-subculture was gay in the past. In the 1990s, the so-called New Guard leather subculture evolved. This new orientation started to integrate psychological aspects into their play.{{Citation needed|date=August 2014}}

The [[Leather Archives and Museum]] (LA&M) in [[Chicago]] was founded in 1991 by [[Chuck Renslow]] and [[Tony DeBlase]] as a “community archives, library, and museum of leather, [[Kink (sexuality)|kink]], [[Sexual fetishism|fetish]], and BDSM history and culture.”<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the LA&M |url=https://leatherarchives.org/about/about-the-la-m |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=leatherarchives.org |language=en-us |archive-date=3 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703144039/https://leatherarchives.org/about/about-the-la-m |url-status=dead }}</ref> The LA&M has an extensive collection of leather- and BDSM-related artifacts, including one of three original [[leather pride flag]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Leather Pride Flag |url=https://leatherarchives.org/the-leather-pride-flag |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=leatherarchives.org |language=en-us |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128224442/https://leatherarchives.org/the-leather-pride-flag |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley]] consists of four works of art along Ringold Alley honoring leather culture; it opened in 2017.<ref name="artandarchitecture-sf.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/ringold-alleys-leather-memoir.html|title=Ringold Alley's Leather Memoir – Public Art and Architecture from Around the World|website=www.artandarchitecture-sf.com|access-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623193827/http://www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/ringold-alleys-leather-memoir.html|archive-date=23 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Jewish">{{cite news |last=Paull |first=Laura |url=https://www.jweekly.com/2018/06/21/honoring-gay-leather-culture-with-art-installation-in-soma-alleyway/ |title=Honoring gay leather culture with art installation in SoMa alleyway – J |newspaper=J |publisher=Jweekly.com |date=2018-06-21 |access-date=2018-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623221933/https://www.jweekly.com/2018/06/21/honoring-gay-leather-culture-with-art-installation-in-soma-alleyway/ |archive-date=23 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the works of art is metal bootprints along the curb which honor 28 people (including Steve McEachern, owner of the [[Catacombs (sex club)|Catacombs]], a gay and lesbian S/M fisting club, and [[Cynthia Slater]], a founder of the [[Society of Janus]], the second oldest BDSM organization in the United States) who were an important part of the leather communities of San Francisco.<ref name="Jewish" /><ref name="artandarchitecture-sf.com" />

=== Internet ===
In the late 1980s, the Internet provided a way of finding people with specialized interests around the world as well as on a local level, and communicating with them anonymously.<ref name=sm101/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/alternate-lifestyles-what-they-had-to-do-with-msn-chat.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130110170034/http://www.buzzle.com/articles/alternate-lifestyles-what-they-had-to-do-with-msn-chat.html|url-status=usurped|title=Alternate Lifestyles: What They Had to Do With MSN Chat|date=10 January 2013|archive-date=10 January 2013}}</ref> This brought about an explosion of interest and knowledge of BDSM, particularly on the [[usenet]] group [[alt.sex.bondage]]. When that group became too cluttered with [[Spamming|spam]], the focus moved to [https://groups.google.com/groups?q=soc.subculture.bondage-bdsm&btnG=Google+Search soc.subculture.bondage-bdsm]. With an increased focus on forms of social media, [[FetLife]] was formed, which advertises itself as "a social network for the BDSM and fetish community". It operates similarly to other social media sites, with the ability to make friends with other users, events, and pages of shared interests.

In addition to traditional sex shops, which sell sex paraphernalia, there has also been an explosive growth of online [[adult toy]] companies that specialize in leather/latex gear and BDSM toys. Once a very [[niche market]], there are now very few sex toy companies that do not offer some sort of BDSM or [[Sexual fetishism|fetish]] gear in their catalog. Kinky elements seem to have worked their way into "[[Vanilla sex|vanilla]]" markets. The former niche expanded to an important pillar of the business with adult accessories.<ref>{{cite web|last=Birch|first=Dr Robert W.|url=http://www.leathernroses.com/generalbdsm/drbirchsextoys.htm|title=Adult Sex Toys|publisher=Leather Roses|access-date=27 January 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080223075418/http://www.leathernroses.com/generalbdsm/drbirchsextoys.htm| archive-date= 23 February 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> Today practically all suppliers of sex toys do offer items which originally found usage in the BDSM subculture. Padded handcuffs, latex and leather garments, as well as more exotic items like soft whips for fondling and TENS for erotic electro stimulation, can be found in catalogs aiming at classical vanilla target groups, indicating that former boundaries increasingly seem to shift.

During the last years, the Internet also provides a central platform for networking among individuals who are interested in the subject. Besides countless private and commercial choices, there is an increasing number of local networks and support groups emerging. These groups often offer comprehensive background and health-related information for people who have been unwillingly outed as well as contact lists with information on [[psychologist]]s, physicians and lawyers who are familiar with BDSM-related topics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leathernroses.com/generalbdsm/generalbdsm.htm#toys|title=Implements/Toys|publisher=Leather Roses|access-date=27 January 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080129080540/http://www.leathernroses.com/generalbdsm/generalbdsm.htm#breathcontrol| archive-date= 29 January 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref>