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Leather/SM/Fetish

Coming Out Group

We regret to announce that the Leather/SM/Fetish Coming Out Group has decided to disband.  Despite our efforts at publicity, we have been unable to attract sufficient interest to justify the work in putting it on.  If you are a newcomer to the leather/SM/fetish scene here in Toronto, please accept our apologies.  You may wish to check our links page for other resources.

The Leather/SM/Fetish Coming Out Group was a support group in Toronto, Canada, for gay men who are new to the leather BDSM fetish scene.

Many well-adjusted gay men experience coming to terms with their kinky side as a "second coming out". We experience desires and feelings that seem to come from the darker side of life. Our friends who are normally supportive sometimes react in horror to learn that we want to wear kinky clothing and/or practice sadomasochism. We often feel isolation similar to what we felt when we were coming to terms with being gay.

This support group was a chance to get together and discuss your hopes and fears about the leather/SM/fetish scene. Some of the topics that were discussed are:

  • The questions you wanted to know the answers to but were afraid to ask.
  • Emotional and physical safety.
  • Negotiating scenes.
  • What is it like at a play party?
  • Do I want to get into an SM relationship? What sort of relationship?
  • Am I a Top? bottom? Switch?
  • Vocabulary: What is the difference between a slave and a bottom, etc.?
  • Leather and codes: what they mean.
  • Fetishes.
  • The leather/SM/fetish scene: types of club, events, contests, etc.
  • Networking and how to meet people.
  • Coming out to partners.

The group was for gay men, 18 years or older, who are new to the leather/SM/fetish scene. We met on Thursday evenings at a downtown location. There was no charge to attend this group.

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