Power permeates our every interpersonal interaction, from how we interact with the grocery clerk to our kink in the bedroom, and there is a difference between unconscious and conscious power use. However, in a variety of alternative sexuality and BDSM populations, these concepts are eroticized, often glossing over the context where these consensual erotic power plays come from. Let’s examine where power arises unconsciously or through oppression in culture, various types of power exchange dynamics, and why people would want to engage in them (for an evening, a long-term connection or between lifetimes). This will include conscious and unconscious roles, bonding within relationships, and even destructive behaviors. Power is power, but inequality is not inequity, so let us look at this together with eyes wide open.

Conscious Inequality, Dominance, and Submission w/ Lee Harrington