Links & Resources
 | What follows is a select listing of pertinent Links & Resources for the Alternative Community. If you are submitting materials, please be sure that it is relevant to the culture & truly offers something of value (or at least provide some degree of significant insight for the subject at hand). Links & Resources have been categorized first by cultural focus (Lifestyle, Fetish, BDSM, etc), & then further segmented if their relevance pertains only to a particular Metro Region. All references are categorized & color coded according to their specific area of interest: - Alternative &/or Goth in Rust. - Lifestyle & Swinger in Green. |
Cultural Links:
Tristan Taormino (www.Puckerup.com): What can we say - she's a one woman force for the scene. A noted author of 4 separate books (Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships; True Lust: Adventures in Sex, Porn, and Perversion; Down and Dirty Sex Secrets; and The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women), she also runs the adult film company, Smart Ass Productions; & is directing two series for Vivid Entertainment: Chemistry (a reality series), & the Expert Guide sex education line. In her spare time she's the sex columnist for The Village Voice & writes for Taboo Magazine among others. She also lectures on BDSM, sexuality, & the nature of open relationships. With that much in her schedule we're not sure if she actually has time for sex - we're tired just thinking about it!
DC Dominatrixes (Groups.Yahoo.com/Group/DCDominatrixes): Yahoo group for the DC metro area & offers promotional initiatives & announcements for the Dominatrix & BDSM / Fetish Scene in the DC Metro area.
The Fetish Information Exchange (www.FetishExchange.org): An instructional resource & information exchange featuring a depth of research & cultural material (provided as a joint effort by some of the best Erotic, BDSM, & Fetish sites on the net). Its focus is to provide a useful guide to explore your own sexuality & a variety of personal needs, wants, & desires. Without question, it is an excellent resource for the Fetish & BDSM culture, & in fact received in 2001 the prestigious AVN Award for the Internet's Best Educational Site.
DCBDSM (www.dcbdsm.com): offering a concise layout for calendars & events specific to the DC BDSM Scene, this recent effort uses a google calendar application & provides a more familiar format than the more expansive scroll provided by The Metro.
BDSM Events Page (www.TheBDSMEventsPage.com): Just what it sounds like... Major BDSM Events happening around the nation.
Fetish Events Page (www.FetishEventsPage.com): Just what it sounds like... Major Fetish Events happening around the nation.
Sexy Jobs (www.SexyJobs.com): National listing of job opportunities for the adult industry...
Jane's Guide - also relevant to BDSM & Fetish (www.JanesGuide.com): Offering hands-on reviews for damn near everything & anything related to the Adult Alternative Culture, from clubs & groups (categorized by location), to movies, books, products, websites, & just about anything that you could possibly think of. It's a mainstay for the culture & one of the best resources available anywhere.
NASCA International (www.NASCA.com): NASCA offers a national/regional listing of clubs, events, & services which are relevant to the Swinger / Lifestyle Community. A premier gateway to the adult alternative scene throughout the United States.
Sex Herald (www.SexHerald.com): Online Magazine offering advice, opinion, news, club listings, cultural links, as well as hands on reviews for books, product, websites, movies, & anything else you could think of or would ever need. An excellent resource for the adult community.
Dr. Ziggy's Forum on Sexuality (www.drziggy.com): A comprehensive resource that addresses an expansive array of topics concerning sexuality & the Adult Alternative Culture. Provided by a sex researcher.
The Society for Human Sexuality (www.Sexuality.org): An excellent resource that provides numerous links to various topics concerning human sexuality: educational books, forums, & organizations; scene relevant events, erotica, & matchmaking; various articles concerning numerous aspects to sexuality & perspectives on a wide range of topics such as Tantra, polyamory, bdsm, anal, oral, sexual positions, etc.
The Gangbang Place (www.GangBang.vg/gangbang2.htm): A very concise site dedicated to all things which relate to Gangbangs.
Lifestyle News (www.LifeStylenews.com): Adult Content Newsletter reporting on the news, information, & events that affect the alternative adult & lifestyle's culture.
The Swinging Life (www.TheSwingingLife.com): Offering everything from book reviews & gift guides to scene specific events calendar, links to news sites, & various service for the Culture. A great listing of all things Swinging!
Loving More (LovingMoreNonProfit.org): National Organization dedicated to the Polyamorous Lifestyle.
Marcus (MarcusTeaches.Blogspot.com): Sex Positive Educator & Presenter for the gay, bi, & pansexual communities. Called "a truly engaging educator" - Marcus teaches classes, runs workshops, and even holds interactive sessions with demo tops or bottoms. he is normally available for group classes, but can also conduct smaller gathering or one-on-one classes.
Liberated Christians (www.LibChrist.com): A great resource that promotes positive intimacy as a legitimate choice for modern Christians, "exposing false traditions of sexual repression that have no biblical basis." Overall, it provides some very valuable information for those in the culture who might be conflicted due to a religious upbringing.
CDC / Center for Disease Control (www.CDC.gov): Not the best topic in our culture, but it's a very real consideration. If you have any concerns about Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) or would like some general information on the subject, then the CDC has an extensive data base & can offer an enormous amount of information in this regard. If however you feel that you may have contacted an STD, then please don't hesitate to see a doctor (or if you are embarrassed about visiting your primary care physician then at least get to a clinic that specializes in this aspect of patient care). For yourself & the rest of the community, please be informed & always be careful.
Match Sites & Social Networking:
Vampire Freaks (VampireFreaks.com): More than just a match site, it's all things for the Goth / Industrial Culture.
Fet-Life (Fetlife.com): Provides
online networking for the kinkster crowd. It
essentially works as a version of Facebook only focused directly to the
alternative culture. Coolest damn thing to hit the net since, well,
facebook! Please see The Metro under Fet-Groups.
Alt.com (www.Alt.com): Online adult personals for the BDSM, Fetish, & Leather Community. However, this is a VERY homegenized site & has many dead profiles & false links.
APG / AltPlayGround (www.AltPlayGround.net): One of the area's best resources for those in the Lifestyles Scene. The site is well managed & easily navigated. Profiles are real people & generally up to date.
The Lifestyle Lounge (www.LifestyleLounge.com): Online date & match site, "Where 'real' couples go to meet..." Personally, these guys make the most hilarious flash-point presentations anywhere. I'd check 'em out just for that alone! ;-)
Washington City Paper 'Wildeside Personals' (www.WashingtonCityPaper.com/Personals): Profiles & matches for couples & singles of every want, desire, & category. Specifically focused in the DC area. Both mainstream & alternative.
OkCupid (www.okcupid.com): Although it's a mainstream dating site, it carries a large number of people in the alternative culture.
Facebook (www.Facebook.com): THE current face of social networking (Yea, we said it... ;-) Facebook offers a great means for interaction & will get you back in touch with people you haven't seen in years. It is, however, very geared toward mainstream lifestyles, but can be used to keep in touch friends in alternative cultures as well.
Twitter (Twitter.com): And then of course, there's twitter...
MySpace (www.Myspace.com): One of the premier online communities for social networking. Friendly to semi-alternative cultures.
Bisexual Playground (www.BisexualPlayground.com): Personals, info, & chat for bisexual couples & singles - for men & women.
Manhunt (www.Manhunt.net): Gay male personals & online chat.
Available Resources of Cultural Interest:
Gothic Beauty (www.GothicBeauty.com): Features trends in fashion, music, art, & entertainment for the gothic community.
Skin Two Magazine (www.SkinTwo.co.uk): International Magazine for BDSM & fetish fashion, clubs, parties, news, & forums.
Marquis Magazine (www.Marquis.de): Fashion, news, events, & articles for the fetish community.
Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns (Book coauthored by Philip Miller and Molly Devon) - Published in 1995, this text became an instant classic. It's coverage of core topics offers a depth of insight & understanding while its style & format are both lavish & beautiful. The Black Rose calls it, "as close to a coffee table book as the field has yet produced." The only problem is that in its writings, it tends to see no difference between S/M & D/S, which is clearly incorrect.
Miss Abernathy’s Concise Slave Training Manual (Book by Christina Abernathy) - Just like it says, this a tight, concise guidebook to properly training a slave. Essentially presented in two parts, Part I deals more with specific techniques for training, while Part II offers a more in-depth look at the relationship as a whole & the various aspects of the D&S dynamic. Elegantly written & engaging.
The Story of ‘O’ (Classic Erotic Fiction by Pauline Reage)- From the Inside Cover: "The classic erotic novel, The Story of 'O' relates the love of a beautiful Parisian fashion photographer for Rene. As part of that intense love, she demands debasement and severe sexual and psychological tests. It is a unique work not to be missed. This is a truly unique & deeply fascinating story of the unadulterated surrender of ones body mind and soul. It is one of the most classical tales of true erotic fiction."
And Part II in the Journey - Return to the Chateau.
The Marquis de Sade: The Complete Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom, and Other Writings (Compilation of Essays compiled and translated by Richard Seaver & Austryn Wainhouse) - An exhaustive accumulation of the Marquis' works, which for the record, represented an exploration of graphic (perhaps even truly obscene) fantasy that was engaged fully in the dark nature of man. However, this was - to the best of my understanding - not meant as an expression of viable reality. His philosophy in this was an outcropping of the view that mankind is ultimately governed by the laws of nature, & that nature in its most common element is indeed rather cruel. So, mankind if he is to be in harmony with is inner self must at the very least allow himself to imagine himself in possession of such cruelty. In short, it's twisted, but then again it's the combined work of "The Marquis de Sade" - need we really say more?
The Joy of Sex (Book by Alex Comfort) - A classic work & instructional primer on the many aspects of adult sexual play. While its approach to the subject matter is both clear & informative, its overall tone & sense of class actually make it an excellent book to give to a youth who is ready for 'the talk.' Indeed, this is not a 'Lifestyle' publication but rather an open dialogue for the art of adult sexual practice.
The Ultimate Swingers Guide (Book by Tina Minell) - Probably one of the best introductory texts ever written on the culture. Tons of information about etiquette, meeting others in the scene, finding clubs & groups, as well as what to expect. Safe play, discretion, & approaching your partner with the general concept are just a few of the topics covered in depth. A must have for those new to the scene.
Anal Pleasure & Health (Book by Jack Morin) - One of the best books ever published on the topic of anal play (indeed, it may very well be one of only a very few books dedicated to this particular subject). It's focus on health & hygiene make it ever more relevant in a time where HIV still lurks in the shadows but is not given the focus it achieved just several years ago.
Local Swing Fever, Swinging Times, East Coast Swinger, Swingers Today, Swingers Update & Chesapeake Swinging Moderns (Magazine Publications via. 'Contact Advertising') - Long before there was the internet, there were direct contact magazines. A few have survived even in our era of internet technology. One must question however the integrity of those ads remaining. It's available at most adult book stores throughout the East Coast. On a recent test, however, not one reply came back after mailing just over 100 inquiries (many of which came back as undeliverable). We list it, but take it for what it's worth.
Tidewater Blue Magazine (www.TWBlue.com): An online magazine serving predominantly Southeastern Virginia & Richmond. Offers personals, articles, & erotic fiction. Serves a variety of Lifestyle interests.
The Leatherman's Handbook II (Book by Larry Townsend) - An updated & complete rewrite of Larry's 1972 classic by the same name (one of the nation's first manuals for S&M play). It offers an extensive how-to instructional for a broad spectrum of topics in the BDSM Culture. It's key focus however is an all male perspective; but even still, its content is useful to all in the scene.
Regional Interests:
Washington, DC.
TRP / The Resource Pool (www.ResourcePool.org): An educational resource offering lectures, demonstrations, discussions, & workshops for the BDSM Community in & around the Washington, DC area.
Whole DC (WholeDC.com): A sex positive community center & boutique on 14th St. NW DC. They feature classes every Sunday, plus an array of adult toys, books, music, fashion, materials related to adult sexuality, & more. "a space where you can come to talk about sex & sexuality, to learn and explore in a safe and welcoming environment. This is our vision..."
The Washington City Paper (www.WashingtonCityPaper.com): Alternative City Guide to news, events, clubs, restaurants, & what's happening in & around town. Readily available throughout the city.
Washingtonian Magazine (www.Wahingtonian.com): City Magazine offering the when, where, who, & what's going on. Available to keep you informed for general life & culture in Washington, DC. Available at most bookstores & magazine stands.
On Tap Magazine (www.OnTapOnline.com): Washington's ultimate guide to the club, pub, & restaurant scene. Available online as well as in local venues throughout the area. This is a monthly publication.
The Washington Post (www.WashingtonPost.com): Mainline newspaper serving the DC Area. Friday edition offers the weekend guide which lists all the events & affairs such as festivals, bands, cultural events, & mainstream activities happening around town.
Where Magazine - A general guide to the city geared primarily for the tourism trade. Excellent resource for shopping, shows, restaurant reviews, & general neighborhood orientation. Available in most hotel lobbies.
Primofex Local Cinema Guide (primofex.livejournal.com/143554): Best guide available for local cinema & film events.
Daily Candy (www.DailyCandy.com): Daily feed from the front lines to give you the scoop on regional fashion, restaurants, secret spots, events, & diversions for the area.
DCist (DCist.com): Blog featuring area news & events, restaurants & nightlife, happenings, & regional observations from local residents.
MW / Metro Weekly (www.MetroWeekly.com): Washington's GBLT News Magazine. Readily available throughout the city.
The Washington Blade: Long standing news source for the Gay Culture in DC & Baltimore. They've since shut down their publication.
Baltimore, MD.
The Baltimore City Paper (www.CityPaper.com): Alternative City Guide to news, events, clubs, restaurants, & what's happening in & around town. Readily available throughout the city.
Baltimore Magazine (www.BaltimoreMag.com): City Magazine offering the when, where, who, & what's going on. Available to keep you informed for mainstream life & culture in & around the Baltimore area. Available at most bookstores & magazine stands.
Richmond, VA.
Richmond dot-com (www.Richmond.com): Your basic guide to all things Richmond, including listings & reviews for clubs, restaurants, news, & local events.
Philadelphia, PA.
Passional & Passional Magazine (www.Passional.net): Formally Fetishes Boutique, Passional sponsors educational workshops, art receptions, "Passion 101 Fantasy Workshops", Aphrodite Gallery and "Sex-pedition" tours. See Website for further details.
Philadelphia Magazine (www.PhillyMag.com): City Magazine offering the when, where, who, & what's going on. Available to keep you informed for general life & culture in & around the Philadelphia region. Available at most bookstores & magazine stands.
Philly2Nite (www.Philly2Night.com): Philadelphia's nightlife resource, featuring club & restaurant reviews, guest list availability, area events, as well as mainstream alternative venues.
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