Liberal Minister for Women and Gender Equality Marci Ien announced $867,162 in taxpayer funding for two Newfoundland and Labrador LGBTQ organizations – including one that co-hosted a seminar on fetish and BDSM “kinks.”
On Friday, Ien praised St. John’s based Quadrangle for the “vital work” it’s doing in creating a more inclusive Canada.
“Supporting organizations like Quadrangle ensures that Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and all marginalized groups have a strong voice and the resources they need. It’s about building a safer, more equitable, and inclusive Canada,” said Ien.
One of the main projects Quadrangle boasts of on its website includes the seminar series “(Un)Covered: Sex at The Kitchen Table,” which was put on partly due to “funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada’s HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund” according to the web page.
One of the webinars recorded on Feb. 6, 2021 was devoted to the subject of “Kink, BDSM and Fetishes.”
Seminar participants discuss various topics including “water sports” – a term used for urinating on people in a sexual setting – as well as “rope play” and “trampling” on people during sex.
“There’s a lot of things in kink that don’t involve pain. Examples might be water sports or things that use people’s pee as a sexual object,” explains participant Nic Kuzmochka.
Much of the dialogue was dedicated to safety surrounding the topic of sexual activities.
“If you’re doing anything with rope, bring your own or inspect theirs and that really links back to the research aspect,” said Kuzmochka.
“It’s just the best way to know that let’s say you’re using a dildo, like, you want to know when you’re engaging and playing with someone else that’s something that you can take and that is pleasurable for you.”
Participant Ask Spirest also joined in on the conversation to discuss the safety around “trampling.”
“With rope, (knowing) nerve endings and like where nerves are exposed in your body and where rope shouldn’t be cutting into them is important. If you’re doing something like trampling you need to know where your organs are, where organs are exposed and where you shouldn’t be stepping too hard or hitting too hard,” said Spirest.
Quadrangle advocates itself as an inclusive organization open for “all ages” and allows members to join as young as 16.
“Everyone is welcome at Quadrangle regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, economic status and other diverse background,” the organization’s value statement reads.
This isn’t the first time that Quadrangle has benefited from past federal grants including $130,000 in 2022 from the Government of Canada LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund, $237,332 also from the same fund in 2021 and $6,944 from Employment and Social Development Canada last year.
