Conversio Virium

Article II: Statement of Purpose

Conversio Virium is an organization, constructed along the lines of the Lesbian Bisexual Gay Coalition and open to all members of the Columbia community, dealing with issues relating to BDSM. By BDSM we mean any sexuality that involves bondage, domination, submission, or sadomasochistic play between responsible and consenting adults.

Our guiding principles are as follows:

• The very act of referring to any activity as BDSM defines it as being consensual. Any lack of mutual consent means that the acts in question are sexual assault or rape, not BDSM.
• BDSM is not abuse. Abuse is no more likely to occur in BDSM relationships than it is in non-BDSM relationships. We condemn it in both.
• We support free and open exploration of one’s basic sexuality, without pressure to follow any particular path, with the goal of self-acceptance always in mind.
• BDSM, like hetero/bi/homosexuality, is a legitimate sexual orientation, and is not a disorder. Nor does the mere fact of being involved in BDSM indicate anything bad about someone. We therefore regard complete tolerance of all practitioners of BDSM as a right and not a privilege.

We recognize that societal prejudices and misconceptions about this sexual orientation and/or lifestyle can prevent people from being able to discuss it openly. Because communication within a tolerant environment is vital to the healthy development of any sexual identity, we intend to provide:

• A forum for the discussion of safe and consensual dominance/submission or sadomasochistic play between adults in a non-judgemental context.
• A peer support group for people dealing with BDSM-related personal issues such as determining one’s orientation, coming out, dealing with a friend or loved one’s BDSM sexuality, or defining one’s personal limits.
• A political and social focus for the BDSM community of Columbia University.
• Education on how to practice BDSM safely.
• Education on the perceptions and realities of BDSM for ourselves and the surrounding community.

(Back to Article I: Definition of Terms or continue to Article III: Principles of Operation.)