The controversy over whether kink should be allowed at Pride is merely the latest in a line of questions about who is considered a part of the queer community and who gets to participate in ostensibly queer spaces. Kink communities are very visible at Pride, though people of all sexualities can be into kink. Kink is an umbrella term referring to specific sexual desires people have, which can encompass a range of preferences from dirty talk and spanking to BDSM, pup play, and more. But it's also rooted in respectability politics - and a push for LGBTQ people to be seen as 'acceptable,' or even 'normal,' in a heteronormative society. The discourse itself revolves around whether kink apparel and paraphernalia render the space unsafe for minors or nonconsensually involve observers. Like clockwork, the weeks ahead of this year's Pride Month saw another online debate over whether kink - in this sense, meaning people wearing leather, harnesses, puppy hoods, leashes, and fetish items - has a place at events meant to celebrate LGBTQ people and identity.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.The discourse also plays into tensions in LGBTQ history between assimilation and liberation.It involves discussions about whether or not kink and fetish items should be allowed at LGBTQ Pride.'Kink at Pride' discourse is a widely bemoaned, annual online debate around Pride Month.
