| Who
is conducting this survey?
This research project is the
sole intellectual property of Gloria Glickstein Brame,
PhD. Gloria holds a doctorate in human sexuality, with
a specialty in SM/fetish sex, from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality (IASHS).
Gloria is the author of Come
Hither: A Commonsense Guide to Kinky Sex and the
lead author of Different Loving: The World of Sexual
Dominance and Submission, as well as two other titles. Gloria is
also a journalist who regularly contributes to Cosmo,
Maxim, Redbook, and other magazines. Since
1998, she has been the kinky sex expert for THRIVE ON-LINE,
where she hosts a regular weekly
conference on BDSM/fetish topics.
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| What is IASHS?
This study was conducted under
the aegis of the The Institute for Advanced Study of
Human Sexuality (IASHS), and under the direct supervision
of Robert T. McIlvenna, M.Div, PhD, President.
IASHS is an accredited, private
post-secondary institution located in San Francisco,
CA. The school offers a range of certificates and post-graduate
degrees in Sexology, and is a vital international resource
for scholarship in the field.
Visit IASHS on the Web.
On February 11, 2000, Gloria
presented the results of this survey before a class
of graduate students at the Institute as part of the
school's Wardell B. Pomeroy lecture series. In her lecture,
she provided commentary and analyses of selected data,
including discussion of the challenges of using the
Internet for sampling, and the Net's impact on some
results. If you would like to purchase a copy of the
video-tape of this lecture, please query
Dr. Brame.
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| What is
the purpose of this survey?
This project aimed to get a
rich, demographic portrait of adults who engage in bondage,
dominance and submission, SM, spanking, watersports,
fetishism, cross-dressing, infantilism, and any and
all other aspects of kinky/BDSM sex.
The original
survey questionnaire ws designed to gather hard
data on many basic questions about who we are, both
as a subculture and as members of society at large.
The questions focus on economic and social class, professional
and educational status, religious beliefs, family relationships,
and attitudes towards BDSM. The data will help to establish
common trends (if any) and common social characteristics
(if any) among kinky people.
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| Who
was asked to participate in this survey?
All adults who are interested
in BDSM/fetish sex (and its hundreds of diverse expressions)
were invited to complete a questionnaire. This included
but wasn't limited to:
- Adults who are active in
the BDSM/fetish or Leather Scene
- Adults who are closeted
about their BDSM/fetish interests
- Dominants, submissives,
switches, tops, bottoms, sadists, masochists, TVs,
TGs, ABs, and fetishists
- GOReans and all other sexual
minorities on or near the fringes of the Scene
- Adults in 24/7 power relationships
- Adults who do BDSM as roleplay
- Adults who do BDSM on-line
only
- Adults who enjoy mild spanking,
bondage, etc. as foreplay
- Everyone in between.
Questions were carefully framed
to apply to as many kinky people as possible, regardless
of orientation, preferences, or level of experience.
This survey was not limited to people already involved
in the Scene. This survey was interested in alll adults
who are driven by a need for kinky sex. Novices and
those whose only exposure to SM has been on the Net
were welcome to participate.
Finally, participation in the
survey was limited to individuals who are 18 years old
or older.
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| Was privacy
guaranteed?
Absolutely. The forms were
set up to deliver results anonymously. I did not run
tracking software either. I worked only with raw numbers.
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| How will
the results be used?
This survey is a scholarly
research project. It was undertaken to fulfill academic
requirements for Gloria's PhD. As such, the dissemination
of its results will proceed in an academic fashion.
When and if results are published in a scholarly journal,
I'll provide information here.
Meanwhile, the raw data are
available on this website free to all who visit.
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THANK YOU for your interest in
this study.
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