Think Kink Week is back at Carleton for its third year in a row.
The event, which runs from Jan. 23 to 29, gives students the opportunity to explore areas like bondage, sex toys and roleplay within a safe, fun and accepting environment.
This year’s Think Kink Week is hosted by the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) Womyn’s Centre. The Gender and Sexuality Resource Centre (GSRC) also contributed to advertising and event planning.
The week kicked off on Jan. 23 with Monday Night Munch, a social gathering where students could discuss BDSM in a relaxed environment at Oliver’s Pub & Patio.
Keya Prempeh, programming co-ordinator for the GSRC, said the Womyn’s Centre took charge because current Womyn’s Centre members were very informed and passionate on the topic of kink.
“I’m happy that the Womyn’s Centre took that on,” Prempeh said. “They’ve had a lot of good events this week . . . I’m so happy that we were able to still participate and still bring queerness and trans identities into the discussion.”
The week features a series of workshops like Whip It Good, an introductory-level workshop on BDSM, as well as a kink-writing workshop and Queering Kink, a discussion on kink within queer communities.
Sydney Schneider, the programming co-ordinator for the Womyn’s Centre, said she hopes the week will lead to more normalization of kink.
“What I’m noticing with even our Facebook events is people might not want to click that they’re going, like ‘oh my goodness, what will people think of me if they see that I’m going to the Carleton Munch?’” she said. “So, just that normalization. It’s totally cool for you to be into BDSM, it’s cool for you to not be into BDSM, but to have that open ability to share that you’re going to these events. Congratulating people as they discover these things, rather than stigmatizing and shaming them.”
Second-year english student Amanda Horvath attended the Whip It Good event on Jan. 24. Although aimed toward beginners, Horvath said that those who were involved or interested in BDSM at any level could find something of interest in the workshop.
Zachary Gifford, a first-year sociology student, said they are interested in attending several workshops. Gifford said that the week could be helpful to queer-identified people.
“Kink often breaks a lot of heteronormative values that people hold towards sex,” they said. “I think that’s a big reason why it’s so big and so important in queer culture.”
Sarah Shaw, a Carleton alumnus formerly involved with the GSRC, hosted Thursday’s Queering Kink discussion.
Shaw said she hopes her workshop will help students define what kink means to them.
“A lot of people are kinky and they don’t even know it because there’s such a broad definition,” Shaw said. “Basically, each person has their own definition of what’s kinky. It covers so many things.”
Students can find more information on the upcoming Think Kink events via Facebook, or through GSRC and Womyn’s Centre resources.
– Photo by Trevor Swann
