By Denny on Tue 26 Sep 2000 at 19:26
Okay, this is a subject touched on towards the bottom of the Torture Garden review posted below, but then I also got into a big discussion about it on #SubmissionUK as well, so I thought I'd give it some front page space all of its own... If you decide to play (BDSM or sexual scenes) in a public place such as a club, do you have the right to be annoyed when people crowd round to watch?
My opinion is that it would be foolish to expect no-one to want to watch when you are getting up to something so interesting in the middle of a whole load of people, but I'm starting to think I'm in a minority in finding this aspect of public playing acceptable... perhaps I'm just an exhibitionist, but I don't mind people watching at all - if I wanted to do something private, I'd go somewhere private to do it!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating the sort of loutish behaviour where people start touching uninvited, that is totally unacceptable - but I also think it's pretty unfair and unreasonable to say no-one should take any notice at all.
I can understand that people crowding too close in a BDSM scene can actually disrupt the scene, and even be potentially dangerous, by getting in the way of a moving implement, but I'm presuming that part of the job of whoever is supervising the play is to make sure any people watching don't actually get in the way to that degree...?
If so, then I don't see any other reason for the resentment of an audience that seems to be the norm in people who play at clubs - perhaps I've just not been on the scene long enough to find out just how annoying it can be?
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