Fisherman and I are members of Sagacity of Victoria, a kink/fetish organization on Vancouver Island. We have been offering the Rope Bondage 101 workshop for sometime now. We have done several presentations within Sagacity and have also traveled to other groups to offer the class. It is pretty fundamental…basic knots, basic ties, anatomy and safety points to be aware of, and a bit of shop-talk about rope itself.

"Would you be interested in offering your workshop, Rope Bondage 101, out here at the university?" Fisherman and I were asked by a member of the UVIC Pride Collective. "We'd love to have you out here and it would mean a few extra bucks for the always-needy Sagacity library fund." Who could say "no" to that offer? Money for our group plus a chance to play with ropes and spread some knowledge!

Little did we know that accepting that invitation would heap upon our heads a gamut of publicity…running from rabid denouncement to high praise (various press articles can be found here). Little did we know that we'd end up on two Canada-wide television stations doing interviews not so much about rope but more about the definition of the BDSM lifestyle.

As the date for the workshop approached the media really went wild. Much of this was spurred by a rabid and ignorant article published in a US Christian fundamentalist newspaper and by some nitwit with the Calgary Herald that referred to "…death by strangulation." Within 24 hours, there were all kinds of newspaper articles appearing. Phones began ringing off the hook not only at the University of Victoria main office but also at UVIC Pride Collective. Interestingly enough, many of the negative press articles were more about anti-gay issues than rope bondage. We were contacted via e-mail and phone. So was the UVIC Pride Collective. The questions began to fly…Was this being paid for by school funds? Did the University support this sort of sick activity? Were academic credits being given for this? Could anyone attend? Could camera crews show up?

Initially, Fisherman and I were a little stunned by all the hoopla. The folks at the Pride Collective were stunned by all the hoopla. There was a moment in time when we all seriously wondered if we should carry on with the presentation.

At this point, we took a step back. If we opted to carry on with the presentation it was very apparent that we were going to not only "out" ourselves but also bring an amazing amount of publicity down on our organization. The more stories that were written, the more it was becoming obvious that the media was much more interested in stressing the "kink" and "BDSM" aspects of who we were then the not-so-sensational facts about rope and safety in bondage.

The University administration took the first step by unequivocally voicing their support for the student-members of the Pride Collective. They stated that they trusted and endorsed the right of the Collective to offer "educational workshops." The Pride Collective then stepped forward and made the decision to carry on with the event if Fisherman and I were willing. The students at UVIC were amazingly supportive and very dedicated to offering the workshop regardless of the publicity. "…It was the UVIC Pride Collective, the UVIC Pride Chair, and the University itself who really did the awesome job of standing up and responding to the media onslaught. They made sure the information was accurate and took it in stride and did not let it stop them from doing as they all had decided. A very courageous bunch of students and a very inclusive University," stated yavanA, a member of Sagacity and the Collective who acted as liaison.

We were also very proud of the support expressed by the members of Sagacity. Two of our members braved possible publicity issues by participating in our workshop and many members not only collected news stories for us but wrote (scathing) letters to editors correcting mistakes and adjusting opinions. Some members even offered to attend the workshop to guard us from the press and protesters!

To a large extent, it was the enthusiasm and support of the Collective and Sagacity members that helped Fisherman and me decide to carry on with our workshop. How could we stand in front of people week after week, event after event, and extol the virtues of BDSM (tolerance, respect, integrity, etc.) if we didn't have the proverbial "courage of our convictions"? Much of the media portrayal was desperately trying to reduce our lifestyle to something sick and twisted that should be hidden away and not talked about. We couldn't let them get away with that in light of the eagerness and open honesty displayed by the University and the Pride folks. We had been honoured with an invitation to share our knowledge of rope bondage. We would be there!

The day of the workshop was crazy. We spent the daytime hours giving interviews to newspapers and television news programs. They sent camera crews and photographers. They asked questions and generally tried to not look too scared upon first meeting us and asking about, "…rope bondage and kink." On our way home from the last interview, Fisherman and I were hit with the reality that both our faces were about to be plastered on TV set screens all over Canada on the 5 O'Clock News. It was terrifying, exhilarating, and both of us were privately considering the ramifications our actions would have on our lives from now on. Many of our vanilla friends and family had no idea of our "proclivities." That was about to change!

The local news coverage was remarkably fair. The film clips were nicely done and despite a few attempts at "photographic sensationalism" they offered up not only an unbiased look at what we'd be teaching but also managed to slip in a plug or two for Sagacity and the benefits of BDSM. Heck…if we were going to wear the "Scarlet BDSM" on our chests, we figured we should at least get a little free press for our organization!

That evening, the workshop went off without a single knot in the rope! There were no rabid protesters outside the buildings, no disgruntled University students picketing in the hall, no nothing. There was a reporter from the University's paper (The Martlet) present but that was okay because she took the class. She later did a very nice piece about the workshop and is actually considering doing an in-depth piece at a later date about the BDSM lifestyle.

Fisherman and I are still dealing with the aftermath of all this. We have received e-mails and phone calls from all over offering support and/or expressing surprise at our decision to ride the media wave rather than swim away from it. By and large, the publicity was fair and positive. Sagacity memberships have increased amazingly and we confess to being rather delighted that all of this happened just a few weeks shy of our 3-year anniversary. We have had lots of e-mail from "newbies" asking about the lifestyle and how they can learn more. Ironically most of them mention the fact that they saw Fisherman and me on television. They also point out that they are surprised by our age (we are both 50) and the fact that we looked "normal."

The UVIC Pride Collective has asked to come back and offer our Rope Bondage 101 workshop again in January. According to a spokesperson for their group, "it's almost sold out already!"

We will be there in January…at the University. And we will do it all over again with another group of young people that are eager to learn more about rope, bondage, and the realities of BDSM. We will continue to advocate education and knowledge about our lifestyle choices and we will wallow in our 15 minutes of fame as long as it lasts!

Ladyfish is the Executive Director of Sagacity, the largest kink/fetish/alternative lifestyle organisation on Vancouver Island. To learn more about Sagacity, visit their website (www.sagacitygroup.net) or write to Ladyfish directly (Ladyfish@Sagacitygroup.net). She and her Fisherman love to share their commitment to the BDSM lifestyle and they are always happy to offer “Just Plain Rope Bondage 101” and “Just Plain BDSM 101” workshops to interested groups and organisations... We’re the ‘just plain’ kinkster’s answer to Midori and Jay Wiseman.