Bondage 101 - Winnipeg Sun (CP) 2003/10/20
| Sex
ed, with a twist |
| Dirk
Meissner CP - Winnipeg Sun Monday, October 20, 2003 |
| 'Bondage
101' teaches safety VICTORIA -- Students curious about sex with ropes and knots have prompted a campus club at the University of Victoria to stage a bondage class -- purely in the interests of safety. The UVic Pride Collective, the campus gay-oriented student organization, says its so-called Bondage 101 workshop Wednesday on campus is a response to safety concerns raised by students interested in tying people up during sex. "Some of our members came to us and said they wanted to learn about bondage and how to do it safely," said Michael Joyce, the pride collective's spokesman. "I think that should be encouraged." The student group recruited bondage experts from a Victoria alternative lifestyle group to teach the three-hour evening class, which is not part of the university's official course curriculum, he said. "It's just going to be a workshop about safe use of ropes in a sexualized context," Joyce said. "Apparently you can do nerve damage by pinching nerves. Our whole point is to talk about how to do things safely." Joyce said the class is open to 15 couples who will pay $15 per couple. The class is full and media are not invited, he said. "You should bring a floor mat or a sleeping bag and maybe a couple blankets," he said. "Pillows would be probably a good idea and 100 feet of rope cut into a 50-foot length and two 25-foot lengths." The Pride Collective recommends workshop participants bring rope that is three-eighths of an inch thick. One-quarter-inch and one-half-inch thick rope works, but the half inch rope is bulky and one-quarter inch rope can cut when tightened. FRAYING PREVENTION The rope -- cotton, nylon or hemp -- should have the ends burned or taped to prevent fraying, says the collective. "This isn't going to be anything like a sex show or anything like that," Joyce said. "Everyone will be fully clothed and we recommend that they wear slightly snug clothing just so it doesn't interfere with the ropes." |