Behind closed doors: an exploration of kinky sexual behaviors in urban lesbian and bisexual women.Little empirical research Noun 1. empirical research - an empirical search for knowledge inquiry, research, enquiry - a search for knowledge; "their pottery deserves more research than it has received" has been reported on the sexual behaviors of lesbian and bisexual women in the realm of out-of-the-ordinary, unusual, or kinky kink·y adj. kink·i·er, kink·i·est 1. Tightly twisted or curled: kinky hair. 2. sexual behaviors (e.g., Sandnabba, Santtila, & Nordling, 1999). The term kinky generally refers to the sexual behaviors of consenting adults consenting adults npl → adultos con capacidad de consentir consenting adults npl → personnes consentantes consenting adults npl that are viewed as "bizarre" or "unconventional" by most in society (e.g., Webster's New World College Dictionary, 2006). Nichols (2006) defined kink more specifically as sexual activity involving one or more of the following characteristics: hierarchical power play involving domination and submission, role playing role playing, n in behavioral medicine, learning exercise in which individuals assume characters different from their own. The individual may also be asked to simulate a particularly difficult situation and apply the characteristics that are common to his , pain or humiliation, bondage, sensory deprivation sensory deprivation n. The reduction or absence of usual external stimuli or perceptual opportunities, commonly resulting in psychological distress and sometimes in unpleasant hallucinations. or confusion, use of non-sexual objects for sexual enhancement, and the fetishistic use of objects or practices. In the volume, Sexual Behavior sexual behavior A person's sexual practices–ie, whether he/she engages in heterosexual or homosexual activity. See Sex life, Sexual life. in the Human Female (Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, & Gebhard, 1953/1966), the authors stated that 4% of women with masturbatory mas·tur·ba·to·ry adj. 1. Of or relating to masturbation. 2. Excessively self-indulgent or self-involved: "[The play's] star . . . experience had fantasized about sadomasochistic sa·do·mas·o·chism n. The combination of sadism and masochism, in particular the deriving of pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting or submitting to physical or emotional abuse. activities during masturbation, and that 12% of women and 22% of men experienced arousal from sadomasochistic stories. Regarding other kinky sexual behaviors, the authors reported that object fetishism fetishism, in psychiatry, a paraphilia (see perversion, sexual) in which erotic interest and satisfaction are centered on an inanimate object or a specific, nongenital part of the anatomy. Generally occurring in males, fetishism frequently centers on a garment (e.g. , voyeurism Voyeurism See also Eavesdropping. Actaeon turned into stag for watching Artemis bathe. [Gk. Myth.: Leach, 8] elders of Babylon watch Susanna bathe. , and exhibitionism exhibitionism /ex·hi·bi·tion·ism/ (ek?si-bish´in-izm) a paraphilia marked by recurrent sexual urges for and fantasies of exposing one's genitals to an unsuspecting stranger. ex·hi·bi·tion·ism n. are almost solely male behaviors with few, if any, women receiving erotic stimulation from them. In a more recent nationwide survey of sexual attitudes and behaviors, Janus and Janus (1993) asked men and women about their personal experience with a number of kinky sexual behaviors. The most prevalent, sadomasochism sadomasochism /sa·do·ma·so·chism/ (sa?do-mas´o-kizm) a state characterized by both sadistic and masochistic tendencies.sadomasochis´tic sa·do·mas·o·chism n. (SM), was endorsed by 14% of men and 11% of women and was followed by dominance/bondage (11% for both), verbal humiliation Verbal humiliation is when a person humiliates another intensely through disparaging comments. This has two main aspects:
Most empirical research on kinky sexual behaviors has examined people within the SM or BDSM BDSM Bondage & Discipline / Domination & Submission / Sadism & Masochism BDSM Blue Dragon Scale Mail (NetHack) BDSM Black Dragon Scale Mail (NetHack) BDSM Big Dumb Stupid Man (Bondage/Discipline/Domination/Submission/Sadomasochism) subcultures. In terms of demographics, these studies have found that sadomasochists are well-educated, have a higher income than the general population, and first began engaging in SM in their late teens or young adulthood (e.g., Moser & Levitt, 1987; Sandnabba et al., 1999). In addition, sadomasochists have been found to be satisfied with their engaging in SM, frequently engage in non-sadomasochistic sex, and are psychologically and socially well-adjusted (e.g., Connolly, 2006; Sandnabba et al., 1999). Researchers have written theoretically about women who engage in kinky sexual behaviors (Moser, 1988; Queen, 1996) and have recruited female samples for studies of SM or BDSM (e.g., Connolly, 2006; Matthews, 2006). These studies have found that women engage in SM and BDSM, became aware of their interests at a young age, are satisfied with their involvement in these behaviors, and report feelings of empowerment due to their engaging in them (e.g., Connolly, 2006; Matthews, 2006). Compared to the general population, women who engage in SM and BDSM are better educated, less likely to be married, and demonstrate no differences on measures of psychopathology psychopathology /psy·cho·pa·thol·o·gy/ (-pah-thol´ah-je) 1. the branch of medicine dealing with the causes and processes of mental disorders. 2. abnormal, maladaptive behavior or mental activity. (comparisons on psychopathology measures made with both published test norms and the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders /Di·ag·nos·tic and Sta·tis·ti·cal Man·u·al of Men·tal Dis·or·ders/ (DSM) a categorical system of classification of mental disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, that delineates objective Text Revision [American Psychiatric Association, 2000] estimates for the general population; e.g., Connolly, 2006; Levitt, Moser, & Jamison, 1994). One limitation to this research is the fact that the samples are composed of those who identify as sadomasochists and who participate actively in the subculture (often engaging in semi-public behavior). Thus, the results are not generalizable to people who engage in sadomasochistic behaviors without a subcultural identity and affiliation (e.g., the leather scene, Weinberg, Williams, & Moser, 1984; sexual spanking spanking Pediatrics Corporal punishment, usually of children, in which the buttocks, are pummeled, swatted, or otherwise struck. See Corporal punishment Sexology Slapping, usually of the buttocks as a part of sexuoerotic activity. Cf Sadomasochism. , Plante, 2006), nor are they helpful in comparing women who engage in kinky sexual behaviors with those who do not. The majority of published studies are also limited by small sample sizes (possibly due to sampling bias) and have primarily investigated heterosexually identified women, which also limits generalizability, especially to sexual minority women. A few studies of lesbian and bisexual women's sexuality and sexual health have tapped into the prevalence of SM in sexual minority female samples (e.g., Bailey, Farquhar, Owen, & Whittaker, 2003; Califia, 1979). Califia (1979) found that 12% of that sample wanted to try SM, 6% had tried it but did not like it, and 9% had tried it and considered it a good experience. Bailey et al. asked lesbian and bisexual women how often and with which gender of partner they had engaged in SM. They found 19% of women had occasionally engaged in such behaviors with women and 6% occasionally with men, whereas 5% and 2% engaged in it "often" with women and men, respectively. These studies demonstrate that some sexual minority women engage in SM, enjoy it, and engage in it with other women. However, available studies do not compare the women who engaged and those who did not on any psychosocial or sexual development variables, nor do they explore other facets of these women's engaging in SM or potential relations with demographic or health variables. This study was designed to explore the prevalence of self-reported kinky sexual behaviors among a community-based sample of lesbian and bisexual women. Specifically, we asked participants if they had ever engaged in each of the following: * Bondage or domination: one partner being physically restrained and controlled by another, often with little or no pain (when present, pain usually results from being bound), or a partner psychologically controlling the other (i.e., fantasy role-play centered on power dynamics) as sexual stimuli. * SM: physical or psychological suffering (i.e., humiliation) inflicted by one partner on another as sexual stimuli. * Photo or video exhibitionism: exposing oneself or performing a sexual act in front of a camera, as a sexual stimulus, alone or with a partner or partners. * Asphyxiation asphyxiation /as·phyx·i·a·tion/ (as-fix?e-a´shun) suffocation; the stoppage of respiration. Asphyxiation Oxygen starvation of tissues. or breath play: the limiting, restricting, or controlling of an individual's air supply for the purpose of sexual arousal sexual arousal Horny/horniness, randy/randiness Physiology A state of sexual 'yellow alert' which has a mental component–↑ cortical responsiveness to sensory stimulation, and physical component–↑ penile sensitivity, neural response to stimuli, or to enhance orgasm. Although bondage/domination is often better known separately as "bondage/discipline" and "dominance and submission," we collapsed these terms due to space constraints, subsuming "discipline" and "submission" under "dominance." Photo/video exhibitionism was included as recent technological developments, such as the Internet and low-cost digital cameras, have made engaging in this behavior readily accessible to many people. Asphyxiation/breath play was added as it has recently gained mass media attention in the news (with autoerotic asphyxiation deaths such as Michael Hutchence, lead singer of INXS INXS In Excess (band) INXS Internet Exchange Service , in 1997), in television programs, and in movies. The challenge with researching SM is that any behavior (including the 3 others examined here) can be sadomasochistic if practiced within a self-defined sadomasochistic context, but individuals' personal definitions of SM widely vary (Moser & Kleinplatz, 2006; Nordling, Sandnabba, Santilla, & Alison, 2006). For example, within the SM subculture, bondage is often considered a sadomasochistic behavior; therefore, a participant could have categorized a single act as both bondage/domination and SM and endorse both categories in our survey. In contrast, women unfamiliar with the SM subculture might associate SM with more dangerous or unusual behaviors and not categorize their engaging in bondage as sadomasochistic. In this study, we were interested in women's subjective understanding of whether they had engaged in SM, regardless of the specific behaviors in which they had engaged. Women who engaged in SM would likely endorse bondage/domination, but women could endorse bondage/domination and not SM. The structure of questions in this way allows us to examine the other three behaviors without imposing a priori a priori In epistemology, knowledge that is independent of all particular experiences, as opposed to a posteriori (or empirical) knowledge, which derives from experience. assumptions about them. In contrast to the majority of existing research, our sample allowed us to compare women who did and did not engage in kinky behavior on a host of demographics factors, including sexual identity and race or ethnicity. In addition, we explored differences in two developmental variables: age at which the woman came out to others and had her first same-sex experience. Method Participants and Procedures Data were collected through the Sex and Love v2.0 Project. Sex and Love utilizes a cross-sectional, brief-intercept survey method (Miller, Wilder, Stillman, & Becket beck·et n. Nautical A device, such as a looped rope, hook and eye, strap, or grommet, used to hold or fasten loose ropes, spars, or oars in position. [Origin unknown.] Noun 1. , 1997). This survey was administered to 400 women at two major gay, lesbian, and bisexual community The notion of the bisexual community is complex and slightly controversial. Bisexuals are in the peculiar situation of receiving hatred, distrust, or denial, called biphobia, from elements of both the heterosexual and homosexual populations. events in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. (NYC NYC abbr. New York City NYC New York City ) in the Fall of 2003 and the Spring of 2004 (Frost, Parsons, & Nanin, 2007; Grov, Bimbi, Nanin & Parsons, 2006a, 2006b). For this analysis, 4 participants were excluded because they identified as heterosexual, and 3 participants were excluded because they were not biologically female (i.e., transgender, male-to-female [MTF (1) (Modulation Transfer Function) A measurement of monitor sharpness. MTF compares the contrast ratio between alternating black and green lines that are one pixel thick. ]). Participants who did not answer questions about their engaging in the four kinky sexual behaviors were also excluded (n = 46), resulting in a sample of 347 lesbian (n = 289) and bisexual women (n = 58). Sexual identity and gender were assessed with the following items: "Sexual identity (please check one): Lesbian/Gay, Bisexual, Heterosexual/Straight" and "Gender (please check one): Female, Trans-MTF, Trans-FTM [female-to-male]." For these analyses, Latinas, African Americans, Asian or Pacific Islanders, and multiracial women were collapsed into one group labeled "women of color not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. See also: Color "; however, the racial and ethnic breakdown of the sample is available in Table 1. At each of the 2 day-long events, the research team hosted a booth and approached every person who passed. The overall response rate was high, with 82% of those approached consenting to participate. Participants were given a clipboard and pen and counseled to step away from others and complete the questionnaire in relative privacy. Each survey took approximately 20 min to complete and, as an incentive, participants who completed the questionnaire were given a free movie ticket voucher. Measures To assess their engaging in kinky sexual behaviors, participants were asked to indicate whether they had ever engaged in any of the following in this order: bondage/domination, SM, photo/video exhibitionism, and asphyxiation/breath play. We did not provide definitions or distinctions between the different kinky behaviors due to space constraints. In the following analyses, a fifth dichotomous di·chot·o·mous adj. 1. Divided or dividing into two parts or classifications. 2. Characterized by dichotomy. di·chot variable was created from participants' answers to summarize whether participants had engaged in any of the four kinky sexual behaviors. Participants were asked for demographic information including age, sexual identity (lesbian, bisexual), relationship status (single--not dating, single--casually dating, partnered--not monogamous, and partnered--monogamous), income, education, and race and ethnicity. Race and relationship status were each condensed to two categories for the purposes of this analysis (White women and women of color; single and partnered). Participants were also asked to indicate at which age they first "told another person you were lesbian/bi" (age out to others) and "had a same-sex experience" (age at same-sex sexual debut). Results Demographics The 347 participants who comprise the sample for this analysis were self-identified lesbian and bisexual women, with demographics listed in Table 1. Compared to NYC's general population, the women in this sample were similar in race or ethnicity (52% White in this sample vs. 48% in NYC), income (66% $30,000 or greater in this sample vs. 54% $35,000 or more in NYC), and more highly educated (63% with at least a bachelor of arts degree in this sample vs. 27% aged 25 years and older in NYC; U.S. Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census , 2000). In comparison to other samples of lesbian and bisexual women in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , these women are generally more racially and ethnically diverse but were similar in terms of other demographics (Kerker, Mostashari, & Thorpe, 2006; Matthews, Hughes, Osterman, & Kodl, 2005; Meyer, Rossano, Ellis, & Bradford, 2002; Roberts, Sorensen, Patsdaughter, & Grindel, 2000; Tracey & Junginger, 2007). Bisexually identified women (M= 30.25, SD = 9.19) were significantly younger than lesbian identified women (M = 34.25, SD = 9.95), t(343) = 2.78, p < .01. Women of color reported being significantly younger when they came out to others (M = 20.02, SD = 5.46) and at their same-sex sexual debut (M = 18.30, SD = 5.39) compared to White women (M = 22.09, SD = 7.29 and M = 21.05, SD = 7.05, respectively), t(313.42) = -2.91, p < .01 and t(323) = -3.89, p < .001, respectively. Participants with greater incomes were older, F(2, 334) = 35.07, p < .001; older when they came out to others, F(2, 312) = 6.52, p < .01; and older when they had their same-sex sexual debut, F(2, 314) = 9.14, p < .001. Those who obtained an education greater than a bachelor's degree were older, F(2, 341) = 5.01, p < .01; older when they came out to others, F(2, 320) = 8.42, p < .001; and older at their same-sex sexual debut, F(2, 322) = 8.66, p < .001, than those with less education. There were no significant differences by relationship status among the age variables. Prevalence of Kinky Sex Behaviors and Differences by Demographics Prevalence rates of engaging in each and any kinky behaviors are presented in Table 2. Nearly one half of women had engaged in any kinky sexual behavior (n = 152; 44%). Differences in prevalence of any and each behavior were assessed for all demographic variables. Bisexually identified women were 2.4 times more likely than lesbian identified women to have ever engaged in any kinky sexual behavior, [chi square chi square (kī), n a nonparametric statistic used with discrete data in the form of frequency count (nominal data) or percentages or proportions that can be reduced to frequencies. ] (1, 347) = 9.44, p < .01 (95% confidence interval confidence interval, n a statistical device used to determine the range within which an acceptable datum would fall. Confidence intervals are usually expressed in percentages, typically 95% or 99%. [CI] = 1.37-4.36); and were 2.9 times more likely than lesbian women to have ever engaged in photo/video exhibitionism, [chi square] (1, 347) = 12.30, p < .001 (95% CI = 1.56-5.22; Table 2). When we controlled for photo/video exhibitionism, the difference in engaging in any kinky sexual behavior remained marginally significant, with bisexuals being 1.8 times more likely than lesbians to engage in any kink, [chi square] (1, 347) = 3.88, p < .05 (95% CI = 1.00-3.11). White women were 1.6 times more likely than women of color to have engaged in bondage/domination, [chi square] (1, 347) = 3.93, p < .05 (95% CI = 1.004-2.47; Table 2). There were no differences in kinky sexual behaviors by income, education, or relationship status. Clustering of Kinky Sex Behaviors Data on the clustering (i.e., co-occurrence) of sexual behaviors are presented in Table 3. Beyond simply examining the prevalence rates of engaging in multiple kinky sexual behaviors, we were interested in examining women's subjective understanding of whether they had engaged in SM when they had engaged in the other behaviors examined. Over one half of the women who had engaged in any of the kinky sexual behaviors reported never engaging in SM (n = 83; 55%). Breaking it down by behaviors reveals that 58% (n=45) of the women who engaged in photo/video exhibitionism, one half of the women who engaged in bondage/domination (n = 56; 49%), and one third of the women who engaged in asphyxiation/breath play (n = 6; 33%) reported never engaging in SM. Of the women who reported engaging in SM (n=69), 10 (15%) had never engaged in bondage/domination, 37 (54%) had never engaged in photo/video exhibitionism, and 57 (83%) had never engaged in asphyxiation/breath play. Differences in Kinky Sex by Age, Age Came Out to Others, and Age at Same-Sex Sexual Debut Differences in engaging in kinky sexual behaviors by each of the three age variables (current age, age out to others, age at same-sex sexual debut) are presented in Table 4. Women who engaged in any kinky sexual behavior were significantly younger than those who had not, t(343) = 2.55, p = .01; as were women who engaged in photo/video exhibitionism and asphyxiation/breath play, t(343) = 3.21, p = .001 and t(343) = 2.00, p = .05, respectively. Engaging in photo/video exhibitionism appears to be driving the significant difference by age for engaging in any kinky sexual behavior; controlling for photo/video exhibitionism, the difference in engaging in any kinky sexual behavior by age becomes nonsignificant non·sig·nif·i·cant adj. 1. Not significant. 2. Having, producing, or being a value obtained from a statistical test that lies within the limits for being of random occurrence. , t(343) = 1.25, p = .21. Because both age and sexual identity were related to engaging in photo/video video exhibitionism, and these variables were also related to each other, we ran logistic regression In statistics, logistic regression is a regression model for binomially distributed response/dependent variables. It is useful for modeling the probability of an event occurring as a function of other factors. analyses to examine their differential impact on behavior. Controlling for the other, both sexual identity and age independently contributed to engaging in photo/video exhibitionism, with each variable accounting for approximately 4% of variance: full model, [chi square] (1,345) = 19.90, p < .001. The age at which women had come out to others was significant for each and any of the kinky sexual behaviors (Table 4). Those who engaged in any kinky sexual behavior came out to others at a younger age compared to those who had not, t(321) = 4.48, p < .001, as did those who engaged in bondage/domination, t(262.11) = 3.93, p < .001; photo/video exhibitionism, t(321) = 2.65, p < .01; SM, t(321) = 2.13, p < .05; and asphyxiation/breath play, t(321) = 2.12, p < .05. Women's age at their same-sex sexual debut was also significant for each and any of the kinky sexual behaviors (Table 4). Women who engaged in any kinky behavior were significantly younger at their same-sex sexual debut than those who had not, t(319.60) = 4.19, p < .001, as were the women who had engaged in bondage/domination, t(294.06) = 3.19, p < .01; photo/ video exhibitionism, t(323) = 3.98, p < .001; SM, t(147.70) = 2.79, p < .01; and asphyxiation/breath play, t(323) = 2.25, p < .05. For all of the kinky sexual behaviors, we calculated years of same-sex sexual experience (age minus age at same-sex sexual debut), and post hoc post hoc adv. & adj. In or of the form of an argument in which one event is asserted to be the cause of a later event simply by virtue of having happened earlier: t tests revealed only one significant difference; those who engaged in SM had been same-sex sexually active for more years than those who had not, t(321) = -2.10, p < .05 (M = 15.71, SD = 10.09 and M = 12.96, SD = 9.23, respectively), suggesting that years of same-sex sexual activity may be responsible for the association between age at same-sex sexual debut and SM. Discussion This study represents one of the first descriptive accounts of the prevalence of kinky sexual behaviors among a community-based sample of lesbian and bisexual women. This is especially true for our examination of the relations between engaging in kinky sexual behaviors and demographic or developmental factors. Because we measured the prevalence of these behaviors in a community-based sample, as opposed to a subculture sample, we were able to compare those who did and did not report engaging in kinky behaviors. As noted earlier, most studies examine specific kinky behavior-oriented samples and, therefore, cannot look at differences between engagers and non-engagers or differences between types of kinky sexual behaviors. Understanding the various sexual behaviors in which women engage--especially with other women--is important in understanding lesbians' and bisexual women's sexual health and development. In this study, more than 40% of women reported engaging in at least one kinky sexual behavior, and most of them had engaged in more than one, demonstrating that kinky sexual behaviors are not unusual for some lesbian and bisexual women. The women in this study did report engaging in bondage/domination, photo/video exhibitionism, and asphyxiation/breath play without also reporting engaging in SM. This is an especially important finding in regards to bondage/domination, and possibly asphyxiation/breath play, which are often considered sadomasochistic. With one half of the women who had engaged in bondage/domination, and one third of the women who had engaged in asphyxiation/breath play reporting not engaging in SM, our data suggest that women consider these behaviors as both separate from and part of SM. Our study revealed some notable differences in engaging in kinky sexual behaviors by sexual identity and race. Bisexual women were more likely than lesbians to have engaged in any of the kinky sexual behaviors and to have engaged in photo/video exhibitionism specifically. This difference could be attributed to a greater likelihood of engaging in kinky behaviors with male (compared to female) partners, or may simply reflect a preference for variety in bisexual women's sexuality. This difference emphasizes the need to further examine what sexual behaviors women are engaging in and with whom. For example, do women engage in different behaviors with male and female partners? What roles do women take on when engaging in these behaviors (active vs. receptive; e.g., tying up a partner vs. being bound), and does that role differ with partner gender? With regard to race, White women were more likely to engage in bondage/domination compared to women of color, but there were no other differences by race. It is possible that by collapsing many different racial and ethnic differences into one group, we may have masked any potential differences that may exist for other behaviors. In addition, we found some interesting relations between engaging in kinky sexual behaviors and age, age women came out to others, and age of their same-sex sexual debut. Aside from SM, these data suggest that age and age at same-sex sexual debut are related to kinky sexual behaviors, and that years of same-sex sexual experience may be a function of these two variables, but is not responsible for these associations. Women who engaged in any kinky sexual behavior, photo/ video exhibitionism, and asphyxiation/breath play were significantly younger than those who had not. Historically, it has been the stance of some feminists and lesbians that many kinky sexual behaviors are a patriarchal practice of male domination, and female practitioners of such behaviors are unwanted in those political and social circles (e.g., Califia, 2000). However, with the increased visibility and acceptance of groups, such as the Lesbian Sex Mafia The Lesbian Sex Mafia, founded in 1981, is an information and support group in New York City for lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual, and transexual women. As one of the oldest women's BDSM groups, it played an important part in the history of BDSM culture. and the Exiles, some younger lesbian and bisexual women in the United States may be more likely to explore their interest in kinky sexual behaviors than their older counterparts. Because recent technological developments, such as the Internet and digital cameras, have made photo/video exhibitionism readily accessible to people, younger women may have greater comfort with or knowledge of this technology. Regarding asphyxiation/breath play, recent mass media attention may make this behavior better known and less taboo among younger women. Women who were younger when they first came out or younger when they had their same-sex sexual debut were more likely to report engaging in kinky behaviors. One explanation of the significant same-sex sexual debut findings is that years of sexual experience predicts kinky sexual behavior, as the more years an individual has been sexually active, the more opportunities they have had to engage in kinky sex. However, this hypothesis is only relevant when age and age at same-sex sexual debut are significant in opposite directions (e.g., older women with younger ages of same-sex sexual debut). Because this pattern was not found, it seems unlikely that sexual experience is the true determinant of kinky sexual behaviors. Several limitations of this study bear mention. This study presents descriptive, cross-sectional data, which limits our interpretation of results. In addition, the generalizability of our findings is limited by our recruitment procedures; this sample was also limited to those individuals who could afford admission (or could acquire free or discount tickets) for, and felt comfortable attending, lesbian-, gay- or bisexual-identified events. The data were self-reported and the survey completed in public areas on clipboards, which could increase likelihood of socially desirable responses and result in underreporting of kinky behaviors. Another potential limitation to the study is that we did not ask women about the entire range of specific behaviors that might be considered kinky (e.g., fisting, gagging, fetishes). Perhaps most important, our survey did not explicitly define the kinky behaviors, which can lead to underreporting and other biases. Further, these behaviors are not mutually exclusive Adj. 1. mutually exclusive - unable to be both true at the same time contradictory incompatible - not compatible; "incompatible personalities"; "incompatible colors" ; we understand that SM is a subjective label for a range of practices (rather than specific behaviors). Some of the overlap in our cluster findings may be due to participants who engaged in the other behaviors examined and considered these behaviors as SM, whereas other participants did not. Given the design of this study, we are unable to tease apart these effects. Future research might address the roles of age for the first experience of each kinky sexual behavior, directionality of behavior (i.e., active vs. receptive; e.g., tying up a partner vs. being bound), partners' gender, and age of first sexual experience with men. Future research should explore a greater range of specific, kinky sexual behaviors. An examination of which safety philosophies or techniques lesbian and bisexual women follow, if any, and for which behaviors, would greatly increase understanding of these behaviors (e.g., "Safe, Sane, Consensual"; Brame, Brame, & Jacobs, 1993; Matthews, 2006). Also, investigation regarding how geographic location (urban, suburban, or rural) and socioeconomic status may be related to kinky sexual behaviors is warranted. DOI (Digital Object Identifier) A method of applying a persistent name to documents, publications and other resources on the Internet rather than using a URL, which can change over time. : 10.1080/00224490902754202 References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author. Bailey, J. V., Farquhar, C., Owen, C., & Whittaker, D. (2003). Sexual behaviour of lesbians and bisexual women. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 79, 147-150. Brame, G. G., Brame, W. D., & Jacobs, J. 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Complementary medicine practices in a community-based sample of lesbian and heterosexual women. Health Care for Women International, 26, 430-447. Matthews, M. (2006). Lesbians who engage in public bondage, discipline, domination, submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM). Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest Company. Meyer, I. H., Rossano, L., Ellis, J. M., & Bradford, J. (2002). A brief telephone interview to identify lesbian and bisexual women in random digit dialing Random digit dialing (RDD) is a method for selecting people for involvement in telephone statistical surveys by generating telephone numbers at random. Random digit dialing has the advantage that it includes unlisted numbers that would be missed if the numbers were selected from a sampling. Journal of Sex Research, 39, 139-144. Miller, K. W., Wilder, L. B., Stillman, F. A., & Becker, D. M. (1997). 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Journal of Sex Research, 36, 273-282. Tracey, J. K. & Junginger, J. (2007). Correlates of lesbian sexual functioning. Journal of Women's Health Women's Health Definition Women's health is the effect of gender on disease and health that encompasses a broad range of biological and psychosocial issues. , 16, 499-509. U.S. Census Bureau. 2000. Demographic profiles of New York City. Retrieved November 19, 2007, from http://censtats.census.gov/pub/Profiles.shtml. Webster's new world college dictionary (4th ed.). (2006). Cleveland, OH: Wiley. Weinberg, M. S., Williams, C. J., & Moser, C. (1984). The social constituents of sadomasochism. Social Problems, 31, 379-389. Julia C. Tomassilli Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training, and Graduate Center of the City University of New York There is no institution of higher education in the State of New York or the United States of America that bears the name University of New York. However, in confusion, it is possible that such a reference may regard the following: Sarit A. Golub Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training; Graduate Center of the City University of New York; and Department of Psychology, Hunter College of the City University of New York David S. Bimbi LaGuardia Community College LaGuardia Community College is a City University of New York (CUNY) community college located in Long Island City in Queens, New York. It is named for former New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. of the City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY; acronym: IPA pronunciation: [kjuni]), is the public university system of New York City. Jeffrey T. Parsons Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training; Graduate Center of the City University of New York; and Department of Psychology, Hunter College of the City University of New York An earlier version of this article was presented at the 2005 World Congress of Sexology sexology /sex·ol·o·gy/ (sek-sol´ah-je) the scientific study of sex and sexual relations. sex·ol·o·gy n. The study of human sexual behavior. conference in Montreal, Canada (Bonet Bimbi, Tomassilli, & Parsons, 2005, July; abstract published in Journal of Sex Research, Special Issue: Scientific Abstracts, World Congress of Sexology 2005 [2006]). The Sex and Love v2.0 Project was supported by the Hunter College Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training, under the direction of Jeffrey T. Parsons. We acknowledge the contributions of other members of the Sex and Love v2.0 Project research team: Gideon Feldstein, Catherine Holder, James Kelleher, Juline A. Koken, Joseph C. Punzalan, and Diane Tider. We thank Lorelei Bonet, Juline A. Koken, and Jose E. Nanin for their input and support. Correspondence should be addressed to Jeffrey T. Parsons, Department of Psychology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Ave., New York, NY 10065. E-mail: jeffrey.parsons@hunter.cuny.edu
Table 1. Demographics
Variable n %
Sexual identity
Lesbian 289 83.3
Bisexual 58 16.7
Race and ethnicity
White 182 52.4
Latina 66 19.0
African American 59 17.0
Other or mixed 31 8.9
Asian or Pacific Islander 9 2.6
Income
$30,000 or less 110 31.7
$30,001 to $70,000 173 49.9
$70,001 or more 55 15.9
Not reported 9 2.6
Education
Less than a bachelor of arts 127 36.6
Bachelor's degree 112 32.3
More then a bachelor of arts 107 30.8
Not reported 1 0.3
Relationship status
Single 140 40.3
Partnered 270 59.7
M SD
Age 33.60 9.93
Age out to others 21.12 6.57
Age at same-sex sexual debut 19.78 6.48
Table 2. Prevalence of Engaging in Kinky Sexual Behaviors
Behavior Total Lesbians
Sample (%) Versus
Any kink 43.8 (n = 152) 40.1 (n = 116)
Bondage/domination 33.1 (n = 115) 31.5 (n = 91)
Photo/video 22.2 (n = 77) 18.7 (n = 54)
exhibitionism
Sadomasochism 19.9 (n = 69) 18.7 (n = 54)
Asphyxiation/breath 5.2 (n = 18) 5.2 (n = 15)
play
Behavior Bisexuals (%) White Women
Versus
Any kink 62.1 ** (n = 36) 43.4 (n = 79)
Bondage/domination 41.4 (n = 24) 37.9 * (n = 69)
Photo/video 39.7 ***(n = 23) 18.7 (n = 34)
exhibitionism
Sadomasochism 25.9 (n = 15) 21.4 (n = 39)
Asphyxiation/breath 5.2 (n = 3) 3.8 (n = 7)
play
Behavior Women of
Color (%)
Any kink 44.2 (n = 73)
Bondage/domination 27.9 (n = 46)
Photo/video 26.1 (n = 43)
exhibitionism
Sadomasochism 18.2 (n = 30)
Asphyxiation/breath 6.7 (n = 11)
play
* p <.05. ** p <.01. *** p <.001.
Table 3. Prevalence of Kinky Sexual Behavior Combinations
Women Who Women Who
Behavior n Entire Engaged in Engaged in
Sample (%) Any Kink (%) That Kink (%)
Only one 64 18.4 42.1 --
Any combination 88 25.4 57.9 --
Bondage/domination
Only 35 10.1 23.0 30.4
In combination 80 23.1 52.6 69.6
Photo/video
exhibitionism
Only 24 6.9 15.8 31.2
In combination 53 15.3 34.9 68.8
Sadomasochism
Only 4 1.2 2.6 5.8
In combination 65 18.7 42.8 94.2
Asphyxiation/breath
play
Only 1 0.3 0.7 5.6
In combination 17 4.9 11.2 94.4
Table 4. Age Variables by Engaging in Kinky Sexual Behavior
Age Age Out to Others
Behavior M SD M SD
Any kink
Yes 32.07 ** 9.12 19.38 *** 5.55
No 34.80 10.39 22.51 6.99
Bondage/domination
Yes 33.03 9.30 19.28 *** 5.59
No 33.88 10.24 22.07 6.84
Photo/video
exhibitionism
Yes 30.44 *** 8.96 19.34 ** 6.33
No 34.50 10.03 21.64 6.56
Sadomasochism
Yes 34.49 9.59 19.56 * 5.91
No 33.49 10.03 21.51 6.68
Asphyxiation/
breath play
Yes 29.06 * 8.89 17.75 * 4.70
No 33.85 9.94 21.30 6.61
Age at Same-Sex
Sexual Debut
Behavior M SD
Any kink
Yes 18.20 *** 5.22
No 21.07 7.11
Bondage/domination
Yes 18.37 ** 5.02
No 20.52 7.02
Photo/video
exhibitionism
Yes 17.20 *** 5.17
No 20.54 6.64
Sadomasochism
Yes 18.22 ** 4.48
No 20.17 6.84
Asphyxiation/
breath play
Yes 16.25 * 4.60
No 19.96 6.51
* p <.05. ** p <.01. *** p <.001.
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