Whores of Yore

Mistress Evilyne is a British, London based professional dominatrix. Originally a pastry chef by profession, Mistress Evilyne left the world of kitchens 4 years ago to throw Herself into a whole new field of work where in a short time, she has thrived and become quite vocal about sex workers' rights. Mistress Evilyne is an advocate for the de-stigmatisation of sex work, and alternative sexuality and relationships in general. ​You can follow her at @MsEvilyne

Here, Mistress Evilyne asks the question, why are we so scared of answering children's questions about sex?

​How can submitting your body and will to another be empowering? How can being spanked make you feel liberated? How can a feminist bow down to a man and allow him to 'own' her? Ms Andry has been a submissive for a number of years and here she writes about the freedom she has found in giving over control to another. As BDSM is becoming more mainstream, and more and more people are wanting to experiment, Ms Andry teases out the difference between abuse and domination. True dominant and submissive experiences cannot be found on Tinder, a starter kit, or in a EL James novel. A BDSM relationship is a deeply powerful and profound connection with another, who is trusted with your body, your mind, your wellbeing and your pleasure. As Ms Andry reminds us, BDSM may indeed be playtime, but it is not a game. 

Bee is a 25year old writer from the North West. She mainly can be found curled up with a good book and a big cup of tea (milk, no sugar thanks!).

This is a very powerful piece about Bee's personal experience of an abusive relationship. She exposes the vulnerability of those entering a BDSM relationship, and how an abuser can manipulate the BDSM relationship between the dominant and submissive to justify their abuse. In the wake of the 'Fifty Shades' phenomena, and BDSM (or, at least a version of it) becomming more mainstream, Bee offers an important voice that echoes the concerns of the BDSM community; 'Fifty Shades' is not a BDSM relationship, it is an abusive relationship. Such a dynamic is not romantic, or glamorous; it is dangerous, damaging and painful.

This is a very brave and vulnerable piece. It contains descriptions of abuse. We are extremely grateful to Bee for sharing this.

Dr. Eric Sprankle is an Assistant Professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato where he serves on the faculty of the clinical psychology graduate program and the sexuality studies undergraduate program. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Minnesota, and an AASECT-certified sex therapist. Dr. Sprankle received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Xavier University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota Medical School's Program in Human Sexuality. He currently leads the Sexual Health Research Team at MSU examining sex work stigma, the effects of sexually explicit material, older adult sexuality, and the intersections of sexual health and genital piercings.
​When not engaged in scholarly pursuits, Dr. Sprankle religiously reads Edgar Allan Poe, watches horror films, and gardens.