The Lesbian Sex Mafia (LSM) is an information and support group for bisexual women and lesbians interested in sexual activities involving

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged in ...

, fetishes, costumes, etc. Founded in 1981 by Jo Arnone and

Dorothy Allison Dorothy Allison (born April 11, 1949) is an American writer from South Carolina whose writing focuses on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism and lesbianism. She is a self-identified lesbian femme. Allison has won a number of awa ...

, it is located in New York City. The LSM works "to organize for omen'ssexual desire as strongly as we have tried to organize for our sexual defense". The name was deliberately chosen "in the same spirit of humor as the '' Ladies Sewing Circle and Terrorism Society''."

History

The LSM organized a "Speakout on Politically Incorrect Sex" rally at the 1982 Barnard Conference on Sexuality. The group was also a subject of a documentary by the German filmmaker

Monika Treut Monika Treut (born April 6, 1954, in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) is a German filmmaker. She made her feature film debut with Seduction: The Cruel Woman (co-directed by Elfi Mikesch), a film that explores sadomasochistic ...

, ''Bondage'', the first of four films in the ''Female Misbehaviour'' series. In 1993, Pride Night by LSM,

The Eulenspiegel Society The Eulenspiegel Society, also known as TES, is the first BDSM organization founded in the United States. It was founded in 1971 and based in New York City. History The Eulenspiegel Society was the first BDSM organization founded in the United St ...

, Excelsior MC, GMS/MA, and NLA: Metro New York received the Large Event of the Year award as part of the

Pantheon of Leather Awards Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone St ...

. In 1996 LSM cofounder Jo Arnone received the

National Leather Association International National Leather Association International (NLA-I) is a BDSM organization, based in the United States with chapters in various cities in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1986 as the "National Leather Association" (NLA), as a nationa ...

’s Jan Lyon Award for Regional or Local Work, in 2005 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards, and in 2010 she received the Mr. Marcus Hernandez Lifetime Achievement Award (Woman) as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.

Membership

Membership in LSM is open to women 18 years and older, including intersex or

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

women, and

transgender men A trans man is a man who was assigned female at birth. The label of transgender man is not always interchangeable with that of transsexual man, although the two labels are often used in this way. ''Transgender'' is an umbrella term that incl ...

who were assigned female. To become a member, one must fill out the application and then becomes an LSM Pledge. Next, the pledge must attend an LSM Orientation/Safety Procedure Meeting.

References

External links

*
Lesbian Sex Mafia Speakout, 1982
{{LGBT in New York Feminism and BDSM Feminism in New York City Feminist organizations in the United States Lesbian culture in New York (state) LGBT organizations based in New York City Lesbian BDSM BDSM organizations Lesbian organizations in the United States Sex-positive feminism 1981 establishments in New York City

History

Membership

See also

References

External links