Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Building BDSM Networks, 1946–69 12

2 The First BDSM Groups, the 1970s 40

3 “Somewhere to Go:” BDSM Groups Proliferate, 1980–86 69

4 Creating a National BDSM Organization, 1987–89 97

5 A United, Politically Active BDSM Community, the 1990s 125

6 Success and Fragmentation: The BDSM Community in the New Millennium 156

Conclusion 184

About the Author

Stephen K. Stein is Associate Professor of History at the University of Memphis, USA. He works in the histories of the US military, technology, and sexuality.