SOC 180A Week 6 Review Guide

(1) TRUE or FALSE - Wignall & McCormack conclude that pup play is not a "serious leisure" activity mostly due to its rarity as a career, but this assessment is contested by many practitioners and other scholars

TRUE

(2) How is borderwork/boundarywork/stigma distancing utilized within the identity talk of pups. For example, how do some pups emphasize that pup play does not ever have any sexual component for them whatsoever. How do other practitioners distinguish their identity as pups from "bio-pups" - or differentiate between sexualized pup play and zoophilia. Why might practitioners be attempting to make such distinctions through identity talk

We have provided empirically grounded descriptions of participants' understandings of pup play, and have used existing classificatory schema to argue it is both a sexual kinky behavior and a leisure activity. Participants also demarcated the boundaries of pup play by distancing it from stigmatized cultural associations it has with zoophilia and the furry community

(3) What are some firsthand accounts of practitioners about why they engage in pup play. How do these understandings emphasize the importance of utilizing grounded theory methods

While exploratory in scope, we contend that pup play qualifies as kink, tends to be sexual, and is a source of relaxation when framed in a non-sexual way

(4) How is "pupspace" explained. In what ways might enacting an elaborate pup identity influence this

Describing it as a much deeper form of headspace, these participants became so immersed in pup play that they discussed an alternative consciousness

(5) What are some ways that pups distinguish themselves from the "furry" community

Pup play was more related to adopting a submissive role. Furries are individuals who adopt the persona of anthropomorphized animals in social and sexual interactions.

24/7

Living a somewhat "full time" kink and/or BDSM lifestyle

Total Power Exchange

Someone agrees to give up substantial control within their life to another partner/s

Edgeplay

Higher risk activities which may result in potential short or long term harm

Safeword/s

Prearranged signal, word, or action that clearly expresses one's desire to end an activity

Aftercare

Ways in which partners seek various types of interactions after a "scene"

Check-Ins

Methods to express or assess comfort levels, emotional states, or physiological conditions

(8) TRUE or FALSE - "Vanilla" refers to conventional sexuality; "Kink" is an umbrella term for any "unconventional" sexual activities; "BDSM" involves fetishes based on power dynamics that have a psychological component; "Leather" refers to a specific portion of the queer community with unique traditions/aesthetics which has contributed significantly towards LGBTQ+ movements, services, and fundraising despite longstanding marginalization historically

TRUE

(9) TRUE or FALSE - People who identify as Leather and/or BDSM practitioners are kinky, but people who identify as kinky may not be involved in BDSM or Leather

TRUE

(10) TRUE or FALSE - When someone engages in unconventional sexual acts in ways that are personally distressing and/or violating others' consent, privacy or boundaries - it's not a kink. This is more so indicative of a psychological disorder ("paraphilia") according to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria - but may also even constitute a criminal act.

TRUE

(11) TRUE or FALSE - In addition to recent increases of kink related content within mainstream culture and social media, there has also been more emphasis on discourses about consent, safe/healthy/empowering dynamics, and Leather history

FALSE

(12) TRUE or FALSE - The key difference between mainstream understandings of consent and those endorsed within kink/Leather/BDSM communities are how these inherently assume risks will be involved. Hence, these models - like RACK and PRICK - usually emphasize that all participants are not only well informed of potential risks and liabilities - but often aspire to minimize them. Consent models generally also extend to practices like check-ins and aftercare.

TRUE

(13) TRUE or FALSE - Although there is no standardized understandings about how "consent" should be defined, contemporary mainstream guidelines often include these following criteria:

-authentic, uncoerced, ongoing, voluntary permission to proceed at every step in a given sexual encounter

-enthusiastic/affirmative consent that is exercised by free will

-can be revoked for any reason and whatever time during an interaction

-no participants may be asleep or incapacitated due to alcohol/drugs

-complies with jurisdictional laws pertaining to ages of each individual

-adheres to jurisdictional laws related to specific circumstances (incarceration, conservatorships etc.)

TRUE

(14) Which claim about kinks is false?

(a) Kinks/fetishes are still always classified as mental illness

(b) Most relate to body parts or items associated with certain body parts

(c) Often rooted in some combination of fear/excitement, shame, trauma, and/or disgust

(d) Can emerge through an operant conditioning process during any point of the life course

(e) Sometimes developed from media exposure or play activities during childhood or adolescence

(a) Kinks/fetishes are still always classified as mental illness

(15) Which claim about BDSM is false?

(a) Even well planned and negotiated BDSM "scenes" involving experienced practitioners can still involve risks

(b) Gender minorities are more likely than men to identify as "vers" or "fluid" and to report shifts with preferences

(c) Sometimes used as a method of controlled "shadow play" to work through various traumas and/or insecurities

(d) Common types of activities include sensory play, role play, and impact play

(e) A prearranged "safe word' is always a verbalized expression

(f) Dynamics like Total Power Exchange or Edgeplay are often intended for enhancing intimacy, trust and/or headspace

(g) There are compelling debates about what it really means to be Dominant or submissive

(e) A prearranged "safe word' is always a verbalized expression

(16) Which of the following assertions pertaining to kink is false?

(a) U.S. law recognizes the rights of an individual to consent to engaging in sex acts that are prohibited by law

(b) Abuse should not be mistaken for kink - awareness and destigmatization can help with recognizing distinctions

(c) Practitioners can still face criminal and civil consequences even if consent was explicit and documented

(d) Many asexual folks report interest in kink, BDSM, and/or Leather in part due to its emphases on headspace

(e) Flagging hankies is sometimes dangerous because individuals may be perceived as expressing other affiliations

(f) Occasionally people might be perceived by others as flagging even though they are not intending to

(g) Someone's hanky color while "flagging" signals their desire to participate in a certain activity, while its positioning indicates whether they aspire to engage as bottom, top, or switch

(a) U.S. law recognizes the rights of an individual to consent to engaging in sex acts that are prohibited by law

(17) Which statement about Leather is false?

(a) Originated mostly among marginalized gay/queer men in the U.S. after World War 2

(b) Their contributions and culture have been widely valued by the broader LGBTQ+ community historically

(c) Leather goods are regarded as sacred totems which represent queer histories, journeys, and subjectivities

(d) Core traditions include community services as well as the gifting, earning, and maintaining of leather

(e) Individuals who identify as Leather often enjoy these garments aesthetically and erotically - but may also describe them as a kind of second skin or armor

(f) Social, political, and "play" traditions were significantly influenced by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which led to an emphasis on exploring forms of intimacy that did not involve the exchange of bodily fluids

(b) Their contributions and culture have been widely valued by the broader LGBTQ+ community historically

(18) Leather has evolved over the years since the Old Guard era in all of these ways, except:

(a) Less strict about formal codes (such as only wearing real and/or earned leather)

(b) Not as secretive, hierarchal, or insular

(c) HIV/AIDS is no longer a major public health issue

(d) Consent models and communication methods have continued to consistently advance

(e) More diverse, inclusive, accessible, and progressive

(c) HIV/AIDS is no longer a major public health issue

(19) Historically, practices within the Leather community have been secretive for all of these reasons, except:

(a) Some behaviors were heavily stigmatized or even illegal

(b) Members have to pay for access to certain information and ranks

(c) Knowledge was often spread through word and practice

(d) In homage to military, queer, and motorcycle club traditions

(e) Concerns about danger, erasure, or appropriation

(b) Members have to pay for access to certain information and ranks

(20) All of these experiences are common among POC within queer, kink, BDSM, or Leather communities, except:

(a) Microaggressions are perhaps the most common type of negative or discriminatory interaction

(b) Problematic instances with being objectified, tokenized, and racially/ethnically misidentified

(c) There are not expectations and pressures to perform a "Native Informant" role

(d) Frequently mistaken for someone else, tokenized, or treated as interchangeable

(e) Race/ethnicity is not "optional" or "invisible" as it often is for white peers- since a dominant group has the privilege of deciding when they want to identify with a specific ethnicity and doing so without much, if any consequences

(c) There are not expectations and pressures to perform a "Native Informant" role

(21) Dr. Ali Mushtaq's reflects all of these points about experiences within the Leather community, except:

(a) It always feels empowering to be regarded as sexually desirable

(b) Accumulated some erotic capital through leather gear/knowledge, titleholding, musculature, and scruff (hair)

(c) Marginalization and deficient representation in Leather on the basis of religion and race/ethnicity is common

(d) Enjoyed many benefits from the support of POC organizations, individuals, and resources

(e) Feels respected if wearing his titleholder sash, since it represents a form of hierarchy, power, and cultural capital

(a) It always feels empowering to be regarded as sexually desirable