Kink: An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference

Alisha is speaking about her Master's research at an international Kink Conference! 

As an umbrella term for an expression of sexuality, kink and its associated expressions may evoke a variety of feelings. From curiosity, excitement, and enthusiasm to shame, disgust, and judgment, there is no shortage of opinions. Often those outside the kink community, or the ‘scene’, make assumptions about the activities and the people within it, based in part on religious or cultural norms, their own (mis)understandings, or books or films they may have seen.

In psychological terms, kink is just another expression of human sexuality; kink can encompass a myriad of activities and attitudes just as any form of sexuality can; it is part of the continuum, and the lines between conventional and kinky sex are far from easy to discern. As well, varying levels of kink exists, in all walks of life, and just as with every other sexual identity there are limits and likes and dislikes, levels of acceptance, and beliefs about it within the community itself.