This is an interesting discussion you started Alex. My experience with blacks involved in BDSM is similar to TG’s. In the 10 years I have been involved with munches and public events only a dozen or so of the approximately 3000 people I’ve met are black. Only two are regulars who have embraced my local community.

I’ve had several conversations over the years with both of them on why there aren’t more blacks involved in the public aspects of BDSM. The answers are interesting and mostly relate to culture, history and religion. I’ll list a few in no particular order.

First is the language, words such as master, slave, mistress, and boy are seen as insulting and hearken back to the days of slavery. Out of the box it puts many people off, particularly here in the south east US. Then there the problem of black males being seen as week or vulnerable if they were to admit their submissive nature, especially in public. Another area has to do with religion, and its teachings on sexuality and practice. The black churches and mosques are considered very conservative locally and thus frown on anything like what we know as BDSM. While Curtis noted that there is quantifiable DS aspect to everyday life in the black community there are many reasons that you don’t see it codifyed. This is some of the reasoning I've heard.

As mentioned people of like backgrounds and thoughts will tend to stay together, the ones who are in the public eye generally won’t be visiting with other cultural and ethnic groups. But this can also be said of lesbians, gays, and the TG communities who also practice BDSM. Locally Hispanics and Asians are also under represented at public events and venues.

But that’s not to say they aren’t out there, unless we are paying attention we probably won’t notice. There have been black title holders for both International Mr. Leather, International Ms Leather, brother and sister actually, Ms World Leather, along with events like The Ebony Leather Contest. There are authors like Vi Johnson, a great lady and player I’ve met at events, with her partners Jill Carter and Queen Cougar. You vampire fans might enjoy her books Dhampir, Child of The Blood and To Love and To Love, To Obey, To Serve, Diary of an Old Guard Slave. An interesting place to look would be darkconnections.com . They have a bunch of links to real life groups, info, histories, and stories.

The interesting part in this discussion is how similar the perception of blacks in the BDSM community is around the world even if the reasons for it are different.