Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room

On Tying One's Self Up on St Andrew's Cross...

Seems that things have started happening on a local level here in Indianapolis with regards to "Adult Businesses" focused on the BDSM or D/s lifestyle.

Some of you remember from a while back that I outed myself as a Lifestyler known to those in the community as Mistress Lila. I operate a chatroom on Paltalk, train with a lifelong Master, and have accepted the gift of submission from a wonderful person. I attend "play parties" and "Munches" and enjoy the companionship of others who share in the Lifestyle. I don't condone much of what is done by those who would associate themselves with BDSM or D/s, finding them opportunists and players who use it for their own Kink.

Kink... such a word. People who like to play at being something else for a session of sex call what they are doing Kink. People who do not live it full time, but engage in it for Something Different™ call it Kink.

I find calling my lifestyle preferences or practices Kink to be an insult. But I also understand the "Kinkster" and how they look at us.

Now, that said, let's look at what happened in Indianapolis this week.

Miss Ann, a woman who I had met, with whom I had enjoyed a few conversations, who had given me an outlet for some of the items I make, is now embroiled in a legal issue with the city of Indianapolis. Her retail shop, The Reformatory, located in a small, gallery-like building has been closed as a result of this fight over zoning and what constitutes an Adult Business. Now, as a result of complaints from the neighbors, her home dungeon has also been closed.

Let me begin by stating that I have very mixed feelings on this.

I like Miss Ann. She provided me with an outlet, is very enthusiatic about the lifestyle and her place in it, is active and determined in her activism, and is one of those "once in a lifetime" people that some of us are lucky enough to meet. She is open, almost to a fault, and challenges the status quo every single day.

But then I look at the locations of both The Reformatory and her home, the home from which she operated a business, and I shake my head. The entrance of the store faced into a parking lot only a matter of feet from family residences. It was literally surrounded by large, older homes and condos in a pricy, upscale, gentrified neighborhood. She was surrounded by those who move into the urban setting to show how openminded and cosmo they are, but only as far as it doesn't threaten to impact their property values.

Why on earth put an adult oriented business, one that appeals to a segment of society that few understand and even fewer accept, in that neighborhood? With the wonderful artsy, gallery filled, bravely counter-culture areas in other parts of the downtown landscape, why there?

To make a point, perhaps?

To force the issue?

To make people see?

To make people confront their own secrets?

The only secret she made these people confront was their own desire to protect the value of their precious lots and rehabilitated Victorian homes. These fine, upstanding, cosmopolitan people, who send their children to private schools instead of to the ones in their neighborhood, who go to Black Expo to be seen, who make a public show of either distaining religion completely or of going at every opportunity, who donate their token amounts to the ACLU or Justice, Inc. every year to get the news letters, are the ones who shut her down.

And she gave them the ammo to do so.

Now all we can do is wait to see what the next step will be. Will they come knocking on my door to see if I have a piece of restraint furniture in my basement? If they find one, will they try to take my home? Will they try to charge me with operating an adult business if I have a few of my friends over for coffee, conversation, and a scene or two?

All we can do is watch and avail ourselves if necessary. All we can do is go on living and wait to be called if needed.

Posted by Mamamontezz at December 2, 2005 06:13 PM | TrackBack