SINagogueBDSM
Shalom and Welcome to the SINagogue. This is a podcast for consenting adults for information, education, and entertainment on BDSM, sexuality, and all things related. If you’re not a legal, enthusiastically consenting adult, then … *pick up the needle, press pause, or turn the radio off*.
I am your host, and they call me the Rabbi. I put the SIN in SINagogue. I am a cisgender, ambimorous, gynesexual, sadistic bratty daddy-dom. Sex therapist by day, and a kink educator by night, and in both those roles, I help people make their kink a religious experience. While I am a mental health professional, this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not a replacement for therapy. Seek out the assistance of a trained professional for help with your specific situation.
SINagogueBDSM
Ep9 - "Kinky Con: Guild of Deviated Standards" with Liz_SirsBabyGirl
Ep9 - "Kinky Con: Guild of Deviated Standards" with Liz_SirsBabyGirl
Guild of Deviated Standards, or "G.o.D.S.”, is an event offering a new, private, members-only event format with a membership cap of 600. With this, we hope to offer a venue for more traditional styles of play.
Our mission is to provide quality education with a safe space to play and experience hardcore topics and bring like-minded people together to express themselves. G.o.D.S. offers kinksters tools to explore in positive spaces with open discussions relating to sexual health, identification, expression, and safety.
Liz_SirsBabyGirl is a strong-minded person who loves to meet new people and socialize. She loves this community and hopes to see us grow stronger and become more inclusive. She was brought into the leather community via the gay bars in Denver, where she learned service, community, respect, and passion for traditions and history.
- Fetlife.com/GuildOfDS
- Facebook.com/GuildofDeviatedStandards
- Instagram.com/GoDSDenver
- X.com/Denver_DS
- Fetlife.com/Liz_SirsBabyGirl
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SINagogue hosts and guests are subject matter experts but not *the* expert. We believe outside of violating consent, there's no wrong way to kink except to think your way is the only way. The show is presented from a RACK (Risk-Aware Consentual Kink) point of view, not SSC (Safe Sane Consentual) because each person’s definition of safe is different based on their risk profile. Use of the word "safe" on the show fits our definition, and that doesn't have to be your definition.
Reminder, we try to make our content as inclusive as possible regardless of gender, orientation, role in the lifestyle, etc., but we do inherently speak from our own point of view. We want to learn from our mistakes. If you feel like we said something offensive, let us know. Reach out via our website or call us at 469-269-0403.
Today’s show was brought to you in part by the letters S and M, and the Number 69.
*San Dimas High School Football Rules*
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Shalom and Welcome to the SINagogue. This is a podcast for consenting adults for information, education, and entertainment on BDSM, sexuality, and all things related. If you’re not a legal, enthusiastically consenting adult, then *pick up the needle, press pause, or turn the radio off*.
Subscribe to this podcast on our website, SINagogueBDSM.com
Also, on the website, links to past episodes, upcoming classes, book us as educators, shop our store, and more.
Follow us on Facebook, FetLife, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
If you enjoyed or learned something from this podcast, consider making a donation via PayPal, CashApp, Venmo, Patreon, or Ko-Fi.
Hosting with me today is my partner, my ADHD squirrel wrangler, my submissive, my brat, my little, my pony, or just my little pony, aww, the duck to my Marty, oh my gosh, little bit. This is episode number nine, and with us today is Liz, sir's baby girl, to talk to us about Guild of Deviated Standards. Guild of Deviated Standards, or Guild of DS or Gods, is a congruous event to previous large Denver events, now silent. Large Denver events, now silent. In an attempt to take the community back to its core and community values, we're now offering a new invite-only event format with a membership cap. By doing this, we hope to offer a venue for more traditional styles of play. Our mission is to provide quality education on a variety of topics within a safe space to play and experience hardcore topics we enjoy, as well as bring like-minded people together to express themselves and meet others. Gods 2024 will offer Kingsters tools to explore sexuality in a safe and supportive manner, while maintaining a firm grasp on the fundamentals of consent. The event will feature over 28 classes and many different disciplines taught by top-notch presenters bringing their expertise in their chosen areas to our community. Several of these presenters have traveled all over the world refining and adding to their proficiency. Our classes will create positive spaces and open discussions on all matters relating to sexual health, sexual identity and sexual expression and safety. But before we dive into that, first a word from our sponsor.
Speaker 1:Liz Sir's Baby Girl is a strong-minded person who loves to meet new people and socialize often virtual only until further notice. With the current state of the world, she is looking for people to talk to who are positive and creative. There is little time for drama and stupidity. Please leave the drama elsewhere. She loves this community and only hopes to see us grow stronger and become more inclusive as the future unfolds. She was brought into the leather community via the incredible gay male bars in Denver, colorado, a while ago. In this scene she has learned service, community and passion for traditions and history. She went to her first Thunder not long after finding the community and was in service to that event until it came to an end. There she learned a great deal about community-mindedness and respect. She is forever grateful for the opportunity she had and the trust that was placed in her throughout the years.
Speaker 1:The last three years have been amazing, stressful, frustrating and so rewarding. Have been amazing, stressful, frustrating and so rewarding From the moment we found out that the previous event could not continue. The planning started and the stress To be part of such an amazing community to give back to the BDSMN communities is amazing. She is truly grateful and honored to be a part of these next steps and to make sure we have a lasting space to offer where people can be free to express every aspect of themselves without judgment or fear. Next steps in her journey. She is part of the team creating and producing a new large community event Guild of Deviated Standards 2024. Dates are August 1st through 4th. Classes and socials start on Thursday, august 1st. This is a private, member-only event with a maximum of 600 memberships available. If you are interested in attending, please read through the website guildofdeviatedstandardscom and fill out a membership application. Thank you for being here in the synagogue. Tell us a little bit more about the Guild of Deviated Standards.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me. I'm really excited to be here. So with the Guild of Deviated Standards, our focus and our goal is to have a space where experienced players can come and play and learn and craft their skill, learn new skills and just be around like-minded people, where there's no fear of drama or judgment and we can be who we want to be and have that respect for each other in our space and know that if we make a mistake, that's okay. Somebody's there to pick us up and teach us a better way or a new way or a way we haven't thought of before, and I'm just really excited to be a part of it.
Speaker 1:Very cool. So for our listeners out there who have never been to an event before, what kind of things can they expect? Can they expect?
Speaker 3:So for a lot of events, gods included, you can expect to meet a ton of people, usually from all over. For our event we have people coming in from Ireland and the UK, canada, other events. You'll meet people from all over the country and it's just a really fun place to get to know other people, maybe learn some new things that you didn't even know existed. You can expect to have some really phenomenal teachers, whether they're the ones in front of you in the classes presenting their expertise or they're the ones that you see in the dungeons at night playing, and you just can meet so many, so many wonderful people. You can also expect family. You I know people who've come to events, particularly in Denver, and every year it's like coming back to a family reunion because they've met people, and ten years later they're coming back to a family reunion because they've met people and 10 years later they're coming back just to have that space with them again.
Speaker 1:Well, I wanted to make sure and get that out of the way right at the beginning, because I know there are some people out there who would just think it's a big weekend, long orgy.
Speaker 3:I think that depends on the event you go to. Some events allow sex, some don't. It just depends on where you're at in the country or in the world. Even particularly in the hotel rooms, those are private areas. I've seen a little bit in the dungeon space. We do allow sex. We ask that it be safe and consensual and we ask that you know people give space to those that are engaging. But usually we don't have orgies in the dungeon I mean that's totally fair.
Speaker 2:I know last year, uh, being able to attend the event, it was absolutely wonderful just to see in the dungeon play space area, all of the different, um, the different scenes that were happening and, like all the variety of play with the equipment that was offered and, um, yeah, some of it was one of those I had never seen before um, attending variety of play spaces. So it made for a really nice, really cool, awe-inspiring, you know, like this is really neat and I will say that you know it was wonderful of just the individuals that were there attending, including the staff that you all had as part of the event of being welcoming and creating that safe space and such like that. So is that something that you all had as part of the event of being welcoming and creating that safe space and such like that. So is that something that you all, you know, try to tend to cultivate?
Speaker 3:Yes, I absolutely love our volunteer staff. They are the backbone and heart of any event. It takes many people to put an event on, especially one of this size, and without people who are willing to give back to the community, who are willing to be in service to the event and offer to be, you know, that security guy who's just offering you a safe space, or the dungeon master or dungeon monitor who's walking around and making sure everybody is safe and inside the place sorry, inside the play space. I think volunteers are the most amazing people I have ever met and you know I was the volunteer coordinator for a previous event for 13 years and just getting to know volunteers and cultivating them over those years and getting to know their stories and why they wanted to volunteer and being able to help them find a place inside the event where they felt like they can fit and they were offering something that brought them joy, is amazing.
Speaker 1:And I'm guessing that other event was Thunder in the Mountains, which was referenced in the intro.
Speaker 3:That was yes.
Speaker 1:So what makes the Guild of Deviated Standards different from other kink events out there, other kink cons?
Speaker 3:I think one of our biggest differences is that we are an invite membership only event. We found along the country, but especially here in Denver that's my experience that being open to walk-in registrations and not vetting and things leads to a lot of what we call looky-loos, where they just kind of want to come in and play for the weekend. They don't really care about protocol or you know boundaries, and that led to a lot of problems finding venues and even to a lot of membership not coming back because they felt unsafe.
Speaker 1:Gotcha.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that that makes us different. I think that focusing on more experienced players and we don't really have a lot of intro, much of anything we're really trying to focus on those players who have been in the community for years and years and years and feel like they don't have a home anymore, they don't have anywhere to go. We want to be that place where they can go and feel free to express themselves, like we all did when we first started in the scene.
Speaker 1:Gotcha. So for our listeners, how do they know if they are experienced enough for this event or if they're too new?
Speaker 3:So we offer different levels of membership. So we do allow new people to come. They have to be sponsored. So they can be sponsored either if they're in state. Usually they're sponsored by another member who has experience and is coming to the event, can kind of take them under their wing and help teach them the rules, make sure that they understand all of the intricacies that you usually find in an event space.
Speaker 3:The second way to come if you're new is to be sponsored by the event and what that means is that my staff so myself, all of our directors, all of our volunteers, myself, all of our directors, all of our volunteers we take responsibility for those people and just you know we're there to offer them. If they have questions, we're there to offer to guide them. We're there to like help them. I know I like to really get to know new people and I really like to like place them in groups of people like hey, guys have similar interests, let me introduce you to these really fabulous people and that kind of helps that new person feel more welcome as well as it helps those experienced players kind of help guide that person through the weekend. So we are focused on experienced players. We will will accept new members, but we do that with the caveat of you do need to be sponsored.
Speaker 1:And the other thing I saw that I think makes you somewhat unique is you do cap the attendance.
Speaker 3:We do. We found that once you get over that 600 mark, it's really hard, no matter how big your staff is, to really monitor what's going on throughout the hotel at all times. And that's where events get in trouble, where we start seeing posts about you know, vanilla violations. We start seeing posts about the hotel staff being very uncomfortable, people approaching non event members, whether it's in a hotel restaurant or in the lobby or in an elevator, and you know, last year we were having an issue with people trying to walk in and we had to explain to those people hey, we don't do that and this is why and they understood, and some of them have registered to come this year.
Speaker 2:But it's just to guarantee that we can always find a venue and a space and it's our guarantee to the hotel that we know who's coming and that we know that they're going to be respectful cool well, I was gonna say, because that sounds as if you know, hey, you're trying to not only, you know, cultivate, um, you know, a good working relationship with the hotel, but you're also trying to cultivate that bridge between, you know, creating a safe space for us kinksters and you know, leather folk and such like that, to be at the event.
Speaker 2:And also you know, hey, hey, these are our boundaries and you know, this is what we are trying to make sure that we're asked back to the, either the same venue or we're still creating. You know, we may not be able to be at the same hotel, but the hotel recommends us to somebody else who's like, yes, no, this would also be a really good place for you type of thing. It does sound like you're trying to create those nice, wonderful boundaries and cultivate that relationship, that healthy relationship between everything absolutely it's not an easy line to walk.
Speaker 1:I don't doubt that. I can imagine. I mean in the intro I think it was three years it said you'd been working on this and we are heading into the second one. I don't think a lot of people appreciate how much work and time and effort go into events like this. They think you just kind of show up and everything runs itself.
Speaker 3:I have heard that out here in the local community as well, and I've had a few directors some of our directors are new, last year being the first year that they were a part of it and even they were saying they didn't realize how much work goes into behind the scenes just to get something like this up and going, and that was before we hit our first event last year.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, there's a podcast out there called 99% Invisible, which the basic theory of that, or the idea of that podcast is if you do your job right, 99% of what you do is invisible. So if 99% of your stuff was invisible, that means you were doing a good job.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, and I tell that to all of our, all of our staff. I was like you know, if the membership is enjoying themselves and they never know that there's a hiccup because there's always something If they never know there is a hiccup, we have all done our jobs and we can take pride in the fact that we made this the very best we could.
Speaker 1:So what is something you would like people to know about the planning process, other than it gets taken for granted?
Speaker 3:I would like people to know that we put in many hours, that we put in many hours, I think I work. I work 40 to 50 hours at my vanilla job every week and then I work another 40 to 50 hours doing gods every week. I think that people don't realize how much time and effort and work and love go into creating this space and we do it because we want to give back. Like most people until now, until this podcast, don't realize who, who are the producers. They have an idea, but they don't realize that we don't advertise ourselves. We don't. Our directors don't advertise themselves. We do it because we want to give back to the community. This is our form of volunteering.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I think a lot of things they just don't think about, like insurance and the nuance of putting together a schedule Just slap those things in there and it'll work.
Speaker 3:No, no, no, no, no, because you've got to think about who's. You know which presenters are flying in what day, what time, when are they leaving? Who can we? You know, this year we have a presenter who has to leave Saturday afternoon for an event and then come back for a personal event. That just came up, and so then we had to rearrange the class schedule again, and it's a it's a lot of work. It's sometimes it's like a jigsaw puzzle, which I find very enjoyable. I don't get to play with the schedule much though that's that's my partner's job.
Speaker 1:And who needs what equipment for what class and who needs what equipment for what class. And you know, if two people need the same equipment for a class, can't put them at the same time on the plus side, we try and carry enough equipment.
Speaker 3:The only thing we can't do is, if you need scaffolding, we can't. We can't schedule you in the same time frame because we only have scaffolding in one area, but we do like we're building again. So every year we're building, you know, a few more pieces of equipment to stick in the space and we always try and make sure we have plenty for everybody. And we, we, we do different things. You know, last year we created crosses and new tables. This year we're doing more tables and spank benches and spank tables, and you know so.
Speaker 1:We're always creating new pieces to add into what we have and to make sure we have enough for everybody I mean, when I walked into your dungeon I saw pieces of equipment I have not seen anywhere else, the scaffolding specifically.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, definitely the scaffolding. I was like holy cow. Somebody was like, yeah, check this out.
Speaker 1:Definitely a lot more than just the standard cross and massage table that you see some places. Tell us about some of those other more unique pieces you do have.
Speaker 3:Well, I know we have a rack which, so we like to do a lot of research and we always like to make sure our pieces hold up, no matter who wants to use them or how many people at a time want to use them, sorry and so we do a lot of research. So, about 15 years ago we we built a rack. Um, this year it might be out of commission. We've got to re rebuild the crank on it. It got broken last year and we haven't had a chance to get a welding torch out and and fix that. But, um, that's a piece I haven't seen in anybody else's space. Um, we have several different types of crosses. We have, like you mentioned, the scaffolding. Um, I'm trying to think we have so many pieces I don't even know what there was a uh, saint andrews cross suspended from the scaffolding, wasn't there?
Speaker 1:oh, absolutely, and we?
Speaker 3:also have a suspending cage. Yeah, that was that goes up on the scaffolding, wasn't there? Oh, absolutely, and we also have a suspending cage, yeah that was that goes up on the scaffolding is really cool too.
Speaker 2:There was something else, and I don't know if it was part of your all's equipment or if somebody was allowed to bring it in. Was it the confessional church?
Speaker 3:oh, that was yes, yes, the sisters of perpetual. Yes, they brought in the confessional last year. I don't know if they're gonna do it again this year, but that was amazing.
Speaker 2:I'm like oh my goodness, I just absolutely adored that I can't wait.
Speaker 3:Honestly, this is this year is gonna be a blast. I'm so looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:So what is the biggest lesson you learned from last year, the inaugural year that you're taking into this year?
Speaker 3:It takes a community. We need a community to show up to make sure this event is successful, honestly, like we need membership to show up to enjoy themselves, to give feedback, to like just be there, be in the moment. That's how we know if this works or not. You know, we can sit back all day long and all plan everything. We can plan down to the minute and in our brains it's wonderful and fantastic and it's going to be the best ever. Until somebody else shows up and thinks about it in a different way and going why didn't you do it that way?
Speaker 2:and the feedback last year has helped build this year's event good, I was gonna say I I know I just had seen lots of positive feedback, a few things that I think people were not expecting, but the response from y'all and the information of thank you for this. You know, thank you for this feedback, but we weren't trying to cultivate a essentially a one-on-one weekend. We were trying to cultivate a step up, especially for, you know, as we talked about those experienced players of having that space to add and grow and all of that. Um, you know, I thought that was handled beautifully and with wonderful explanation as to we are trying to create the space for them as well.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I mean, it really is a community space. We are trying to make this a safe space. I have you know. Talking about the feedback, my favorite feedback that I got last year brought tears to my eyes and I was smiling for days was from several members of the trans community, which is always really hard to come out and, you know, just because of the world today, it's always hard to feel safe. And adding that onto it, last year's feedback from that community was that they felt so welcomed and so safe and so included. It was the first time they had ever felt they could play in the huge plant pan space and be completely nude and be fine. That's awesome. That's very awesome. I cried when I first read it and then I smile for weeks after and it's still my favorite feedback from last year yeah, I could totally and completely understand that.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about the classes. I know last year you had an amazing lineup of presenters, everyone from Midori to John Pendle, the Carney, deanna Rama, and way down there at the bottom of that list was me.
Speaker 3:I wouldn't put you at the bottom of that list?
Speaker 1:Oh, I would, and I consider it an honor to be on that list because they were presenters of such notoriety and high quality. The fact that I was even on the list was an honor to me. I'm fine with being at the bottom of that list. Believe you me, the bottom of that list, believe you me. Um, but tell us about who is back this year, who is new this year and what kind of classes, uh, we can expect. I'm back this year. I'll start with that.
Speaker 3:Yes, you are, and and I'm so grateful and I'm so excited because I love, you know things that stab, and so I'm excited for the quills class personally. Um, I, let me see, I'm doing this from memory. I don't have my list in front of me, um, so I know we have back lady d um. John pendle, the carney, is coming back and also hosting a police this year on on Sunday. Let me see, you have to apologize. I have to apologize. I think in bubbles and they're not always in any particular order. I have your back, of course I have. Let me see, I'm just trying to think of the list.
Speaker 3:I have some new presenters coming in this year. We have Sir Phoenix Black coming in. He will be teaching two classes. One of them he'll be co-teaching with Lady D. Yeah, I, just this lineup, let's see. We have Master Tano will be able to come this year. He had to bow out for emergency reasons last year, so he, even though he retired last year, he's decided to come and make in and make this his last event here. That's awesome, I know, and I'm so excited.
Speaker 1:Uh, laura Antony will be back there's oneminkey and I am super excited.
Speaker 3:I actually last year that was a requested class by Team Soup's Kate. She really wants to attend that class and we asked Laura if she would present it and she absolutely said yes. So I'm excited for that.
Speaker 1:So, team Sue, Shminky, shminky Jewish perspectives on that thing we do. Last year she presented, and after the class I went up to talk to her and she presented me with a leather pride yarmulke. So one of my treasured possessions, because it's just so perfect.
Speaker 3:So one of my treasured possessions because it's just so perfect. She is an amazing woman. I have known her for years and years and years and I am so happy that she has agreed to come back this year Right after our event. She's traveling internationally on that Wednesday after our event, so I am just super thankful she agreed to come.
Speaker 2:And it's her birthday weekend.
Speaker 1:Oh, this ought to be super fun then you mentioned team soup is going to be back.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yes, yes, they are, yes, they are them and their primal selves.
Speaker 1:It's going to be a lot of fun and, uh, just rob, who was our guest on episode two here, and Just Rob, who was our guest on episode two, here he's presenting.
Speaker 3:I don't know something odd and out there and extreme, I'm sure, Blood Impact. Yeah, it's going to be fun Again. Some of that stuff I really enjoy. I think I like this just because I get to see and read all the descriptions. You're like I want to go to that. If I want to go to that, other people want to go to that.
Speaker 1:Do you get to go to any classes or are you too busy running the event?
Speaker 3:I try really, really hard. We try and make every class at least 10 to 15 minutes. Generally we get pulled out before then, Like I got to be in your chain fisting class last year and got to be right up until right before you started the demonstration oh that's depressing it really is. I think the longest class I was in last year was um the carnie's cutting class and the rabbi.
Speaker 1:I think you were in that one as well. Let's see, uh, cookie Fortuna.
Speaker 3:Yes, cookie. Cookie is new to us this year but really experienced in the Denver community with rope. I believe Cookie is also one of the hosts of Denver Bound here in Denver, so it's one of the smaller rope spaces here Very cool. Denver so it's one of the smaller rope spaces here, very cool. I'm excited for those classes because they're a lot of working with bigger rope bottoms and putting them up and doing, learning how to do rope when there's a disability involved, things like that and how do we change the way we do things. So I'm really excited for his classes.
Speaker 1:Nice Um Midnight. Angel Peggy O.
Speaker 3:Yeah, midnight Angel, she's new to us this year. She's coming out of Florida. She's gonna be teaching on like daddy and girl and and just that dynamic and some of the other dynamics that are similar. Um, peggy O so Peggy O is also local here to Denver. Um, she is also a friend of Midori and she came with Midori last year. Um, midori is unable to join us this year, but Peggy O is coming because she saw that we had like a takedown class last year and she wanted to teach that class from a female perspective and how to take on somebody bigger than you. So that's going to be a very exciting, that's going to be awesome and then the last one I'm seeing.
Speaker 1:I think we got everybody else, uh, brad oh, science of bdsm.
Speaker 3:They are always a joy to have. Like, I'm a nerd and a historian and I can't tell you how many degrees I have and stuff I don't need. And it's amazing to talk to brad. He, I mean, he spent his whole life this. This is what he does. He researches and he creates these fabulous articles and papers with all of this data, and sometimes I would love to be his data assistant because I love.
Speaker 1:So for our listeners who may not be familiar, there is a group out of northern Illinois called the Science of BDSM. Out of Northern Illinois is called the science of BDSM and this is all they do is research BDSM in, specifically in relation to mental health, but in a lot of other ways too, and they do a lot of great work.
Speaker 2:And yes, it is actually legit research backed by a university Northern Illinois. I believe, yeah, I'm going to have to research that in order to remember as to which university it is, but I know Brad talks about it with each of his classes as to which university and them getting published with any of the research that they do and such like that, which has been absolutely useful for your master's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when I was working on my master's degree and would be writing papers on BDSM and mental health, finding that information out there was really hard. Sometimes I'd just cut to the chase and search his name instead so I could cite his papers or go to his citations and cite something else from there. So yeah, they did a cool group yeah, he does some amazing absolutely as you're, you know, going through the classes and such like that.
Speaker 2:How do you guys try to figure out who are you going to pick, because this is an awesome lineup and I know last year's classes were phenomenal and this year's sound equally amazing. I'm really looking forward to it. How do you all decide this stuff?
Speaker 3:With great difficulty, a lot of back and forth. We get a lot of applications, but oftentimes we'll know our core group that we're going to invite ahead of time. So, like last year, at the end of the event there was a couple of presenters we just knew we wanted back right away. So we we said, hey, would you like to come back next year? Um, we'll worry about classes later. And that's kind of like we know personality wise if we love you, our, our membership loves you, we want you back. Like I don't care what you teach, you'll teach something you know. Um, I have one presenter who had to write stuff for for the event because they didn't have anything. It's like I want you and they're like I don't, I don't know what to teach. I've never really done a big event like this before. I was like you'll figure it out, just make something up, it'll be all right no you know.
Speaker 3:it's like you know what you know, I don't know what you know, and um. So once we have that core group usually the first five or six then we start going through applications and we start seeing what's out there, because you know, we don't know everybody, sure, and that's you know, and or we'll have, um, some of our presenters will be like, hey, I know this person who is a really good presenter, I've seen them a few times, or I'm mentoring them, um, and I think that they would be a really good fit, and you know, that's how we ended up with another one of our presenters this year. Um, and it's just a lot of combing through things. I look at other events as, like somebody applies and I'll go out and look where have you presented before? How did you do? I might reach out to those educational coordinators and be like, hey, what was the feedback you got?
Speaker 3:I look at our feedback forms and see what does our membership want to see forms and see what does our membership want to see. You know, we have some stuff that we couldn't fit in this year, that I absolutely am going to try and find for next year, and so it's just it's, it's a game Like I'm going to go back to. It's a jigsaw puzzle Like you've got all of these different pieces of information you've got to bring together and then I get to do my happy research. I love research, so I get to be on my computer and going and searching for people and places and what do you teach? How did you do it? Are you fascinating to?
Speaker 2:me. So you're, I was gonna say, like I pulled out of the that information of like you, um you're I know you talked about vetting your members to be there, but you really are even vetting your educators as well to make sure that, hey, yeah, our educators legit, have been other places and know their stuff and aren't just like you know bullshit, neil. You're vetting them as well.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I mean, if we say we're going to be an event for experienced players and offering them continuing educational classes in their interest or something they want to learn, well, these people don't need that one-on-one fluff. They need somebody who's been doing it their stuff and can be like hey, here's what you're going to read out there. Let me tell you from my personal experience this is what works. So, yeah, I'm going to go make sure you know what you're talking about. I don't want to, you know. I don't want people to come and say, hey, that guy didn't know anything.
Speaker 1:You know that's never fun yeah, I mean I've been in a few classes where after an hour and a half they've talked about that topic for an hour and a half, but I don't think I've actually learned anything, and that's always disappointing.
Speaker 3:I agree. I agree 100%. You know not an unknown fact about me, as I used to be a teacher, so I I know the personality and and what it takes. I also have so many degrees that taught me how to talk about things in such a way I could articulate it to people who have no idea.
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 3:And you need people that can come into a classroom and be like all right, what's your experience level? Let me adjust to you. Let me, you know, I have some people in here that are new, all the way up to the most experienced players I've ever met. I got to teach this class to that level, you know I've got. How do I, how do I make sure my content can reach those new people and keep those really experienced people engaged?
Speaker 2:Sure, so one thing last year that I noticed that I thought was rather unique, um, in many of the events that we have been at um and I found it really cool was was that you all had people who were going through education process to be sex therapists at your event. How did that come about?
Speaker 3:So SHA, I've known Heather for a really long time with the previous event and she reached out and said hey, you know we've done some of this before. Would you be willing to let us do this at your event? And I was like, absolutely, that's what we're here for. We're here to make sure that this community not only gets fabulous education, has a safe space, but if they need help, there's professionals that can help us in our unique ways. I can't go to my generic therapist down the street because I'm going to start talking and he's going to start looking at me funny and then I'm going to feel like I don't want to you. Nothing we need. We need people who know how to help us in the best way they can and for them and that group, it's to going to events and seeing what we're seeing and understanding our mindset that we're coming from, when we have to come and say, hey, I need to talk.
Speaker 1:SHA, sexual Health Alliance. Heather was actually my supervisor for my sex therapy, so they do good work. I was introduced to them with a class. They actually had Midori teach on being a kinky professional at the very beginning of my journey into mental health.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do love that, and Midoriya is such a large part of helping within that group and I love that we couldn't make it work where they can come back. This year there was just so many out-of-country events for them, oh sure yeah, they couldn't swing it. I'm hoping that we can make it work again in the future.
Speaker 1:Very cool. So what new and exciting things can we look forward to this year?
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, there's a lot. Every year is going to be different. You know we're going to have the same but it's going to be different. You know I'm trying to make the masked ball a little, a little bigger, a little grander. Um, I got hit on that a lot last year because we were just there was so much unexpected stuff once we hit the hotel we didn't get a chance to decorate the way we wanted to, um, and you know that was our fault, not really. You know, again, being the first event and not planning appropriately. You know that's one of those things I reached. I told my directors I was like, hey, I need a planning party committee for this, because there's always something that we don't, we don't expect that comes up. Um, but somebody asked why I do the mass ball and I raised an autistic son and my son had a lot of issues socializing when he was younger.
Speaker 3:And one of the things that I think is so important is that, as adults, those of us who do have social anxiety or are neurodivergent in some way, shape or form, have a place where we can also feel welcome and we can feel like maybe we don't have to be ourselves here. We can put a mask on, we can walk into this room of people and maybe we can say hi because we have that mask, that shield that protects us. So we might feel a little more comfortable saying hi to somebody or having a conversation and being able to walk away and not feel like we've just exposed everything about ourselves which makes us uncomfortable. And I think for the event I've I've been a hardcore, you know proponent for this mask ball since the beginning event. I've been a hardcore, you know, proponent for this mask ball since the beginning because I think it does give people an opportunity to put a mask on, dress up and I will admit, one of my kinks is dressing up pretty and being there because I like to dress up.
Speaker 3:I like corsets and stuff but I also like the fact that people I know that are uncomfortable in social situations can come into that space with a mask on and feel a little more comfortable talking to new people, and I love that.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll definitely say, while it fell short last year, other than that nothing showed that it was a first-year event. I thought everything was ran amazingly. I've been at first-year events that felt like first-year events. This did not mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:No, this didn't feel like a first-year event at all we appreciate that so much.
Speaker 3:You know we get to see all the cracks, but I am very glad that the people who come and all the members did not feel that they were basically gypped from a great event.
Speaker 2:No, I was going to say I mean, I get you know, each year you get like a little bit of a learning curve of like all right, you know this didn't go well last year, so how about if we make this little bit of adjustment to see if you know that helps? And you know sometimes it's successful and sometimes it's not, and so then it's all right, it it worked a little bit better, but you know still a little bit of adjustments type thing. Then it sounds like you all are still taking that in stride and working on that.
Speaker 3:We are.
Speaker 3:One of the things that a lot of smaller groups within our larger group mentioned in their feedback forms was they wanted to have a space where maybe their group can just be and play, and so, for instance, like maybe the ponies want to just have a room where they can play by themselves, or the littles or you know, whatever small group happens to be there, because it's different every year.
Speaker 3:And so that is one new thing we did this year is we implemented the ability to rent a small playroom in two-hour increments during the play parties so a small group can come in, they can rent the room. It's actually two and a half hours because we give you a set up in a tear down time, but we supply the equipment and people can actually rent a room for just their group for two hours at a time. I think it's up to six hours for the party for three nights. So we took the feedback forms and, because of the cost of the space and everything, we couldn't just give it for free. So there is a rental fee but that group can then control that room for that two and a half hour time period very cool and they should contact um y'all via the website in order to yeah, they, they can go to the website.
Speaker 3:It's on the um sponsors page. They just click on the um sponsor link and it'll bring up it's it's at the bottom of the form to be able to apply for a date. They can do Thursday, friday or Saturday, and it's throughout the entire play night. Cool, so that is something new this year that, because of the feedback we received about the smaller groups wanting their own space and it's just really hard to create those breakout spaces- for everybody um.
Speaker 3:So this was the way that we could do that without, you know, compromising the rest of the event that's completely fair.
Speaker 2:I mean, you know, and then, uh, they'll discuss with you as to whatever the fee would be, depending on, um, the hours of what they wanted, it and such, and get that all scheduled very nice yeah, yeah, I I'm kind of excited to see who takes advantage of that this year.
Speaker 3:I know we had a lot of like families or tribes and things that kind of wanted to do something similar, and so I I mean it's out there for anybody who wants to do it. I know I have a director who even wants to take advantage of that for his small little group, so we'll see. We'll see what kind of fun gets had in those rooms this year.
Speaker 1:So there's dungeon time, there's classes, there's the masked ball. What other activities are going on?
Speaker 3:so thursday night we'll have a meet and greet um. Friday night will be the masked ball. Saturday night is a cigar social. Um. We have breakout times every day for lunchtime so everybody gets to break at the same time and meet up and and go do whatever lunch you want to do, or hang out and and talk. And um, sunday's gonna be the hook pool, so that'll be. That's new this year. That won't be an every year thing, but I was really happy that the carny decided he wanted to do that this year that sounds amazing I can't wait.
Speaker 3:The energy level in a hook pool is so intense and so altering. It's amazing.
Speaker 2:I'm sure it is. This rabbi is over here slightly being squeamish because that's not his thing, but I'm over here going wow, this is going to be amazing. I'm totally and completely going to see if I can make it in my schedule to watch, um, even just quietly from the corner. But you know, as he's over here, and honest.
Speaker 3:Honestly, for the squeamish, I mean, for me, I don't. I don't participate, I'm a voyeur. I'm a voyeur, I love to watch, I love to learn, I love to listen. But walking into a hook, pool the energy that is there and that is being shared, it's mind altering, it's intense.
Speaker 1:I can imagine it is, but for whatever reason, that is the one and only thing that makes me squeamish, and I am extremely squeamish about it. I know brad has a picture in one of his slideshows and I have to put my head down when it comes up on the screen because I can't look at it.
Speaker 3:Just yeah, I actually think that might be one of the classes he's teaching this year so I will not be attending now no, but his other one is gonna be a blast. He wrote it with like a you know the, the beginning of the star trek, the theme, the whole. So he wrote his class like that. The whole bio of the class is written like that and it's about subspace.
Speaker 2:It's called subspace the final frontier like it's amazing, is the wonderful masseuse going to be there again this year?
Speaker 3:yes, and we should also have our second masseuse back. Um, she got sick last year, which is why she couldn't make it, but so we should have both the masseuse from last year kyle with metamorphosis massage, and nicole should also be there this year, yay, and if it looks like we're going to have a large turnout for massages, they're both offered to bring additional people with them, to make sure everybody who wants a massage that is amazing.
Speaker 2:Okay, that is, I will have to say. This is like one of the things that the event that I was like look, I got my ass beat followed by oh, hey, I can get a massage, and you know, oh, hey, I can get a massage, and you know, yes, it was wonderful.
Speaker 3:We're also for those who want to partake. We're also going to have Denver Health come in and do free STI testing, nice. So they'll have a room and they'll be doing it all day, I think pretty much every day.
Speaker 2:I was going to say they were there last year as well. Yep Correct.
Speaker 3:Right across from the massage therapy.
Speaker 2:Very nice group of folks, very welcoming, very you know just real well, very knowledgeable, encouraging all of that good stuff, which was a very nice thing yeah, and he's also bringing additional people this year because it was so well sought out last year um and what about vendors? Yes, I was gonna say what about vendors oh, vendors.
Speaker 3:We uh, we had to move vendors to a new room this year because we did bring more vendors in Per our feedback, we did not have enough vendors. Next year we will have no such problem, because next year we will have much better space for vendors. But this year they are in a new room. We do have more vendors. We are trying to offer more products, it's just. You know, we'll see what they bring very cool.
Speaker 2:Is there any vendors that you are looking forward to?
Speaker 3:we have some new vendors this year like, uh, we have, let me see, I'm gonna butcher some of these names. So we have Mistress Bees Boutique and we have I want to say it's Spicy Tuna, and those are new vendors to us. And, my gosh, I do not know vendors nearly as well as I know presenters and I didn't know them very well it happens.
Speaker 3:It's okay, I know, see, in my house, my house is command central for the event, so I have those very large notepad sticky notes on all my walls and I have a wall for presenters and I have a wall for vendors and I have a wall for staff, and so not being in my command center is difficult. We have back some great vendors too. So Varkin Co is coming Sorry, not Varkin Co. Valkyrie Designs is coming back. Naughty Kitty with all of her fabulous rope I loved her glow-in-the-dark rope last year and she's coming back this year. We're going to have Pan's Haven with the pourable wax coming, let me see. Oh my gosh, I do not know all of our vendors. I apologize.
Speaker 2:I was going to say it's one of those things we can always throw into, like the links later on and such like that too with the podcast.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely. And anybody who has been watching our social media like I, I have all of our vendors and presenters posted on social media and I'm starting to go back through our presenters and our vendors now. So just keep a watch out, because I'm posting daily, sometimes a couple of times a day, just trying to get everybody out again and getting them that recognition they deserve. I mean, they have a hard life. Have a hard life, vendors and presenters. You guys do so much traveling and you go from event to event to event. So I do want to.
Speaker 2:I want to blast everybody out there and be like hey, visit their websites yes, yes, I know that you guys are one of the events that are very good about advertising who your presenters and vendors are, and that's very much appreciated yeah, I'm looking on the website right now.
Speaker 1:Canes for pain. As a vendor I'm familiar with. She has some really fantastic canes that, if I had the right person to use them on, I would buy 12 of them. Little bit is not the cane slut that would be required. It's like a cane with crushed seashells glued along it. Yes, and it's sharp. It is amazing.
Speaker 3:I'm going to have to agree with Little Bit there. I am not a cane girl.
Speaker 2:I am not a heavy bottom like as much as I would be like. Yes, I am that heavy, you know S&M bottom. No, I'm yeah, no, but I I'm just not, unfortunately. However, um part of me wonders if Rabbi's other play partner, if that would fit their profile. But I'm not sure, I guess not. Not on the blood part.
Speaker 1:That absolutely would draw blood.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's so sad, oh yes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's very fragile, so if she lets you pick it up, it'll cut Like paper cut.
Speaker 1:It did inspire me to build my own toy. That was a knockoff of it. I did a scene themed like Willy Wonka and I covered the cane with nerds instead of seashells.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. It actually went over really well, Like the person that you did the scene with absolutely enjoyed that. That's the idea I get that that's awesome.
Speaker 3:I love that. We also have um compass rose creations coming back and she has some amazing wooden paddles, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:And if you don't follow her on Instagram, she posts some of her before and after and it's just amazing what she can do with wood fantastic very cool so, before we transition into the part of the show we like to call inside the kinkster studio, is there anything else you would like our listeners to know about the Guild of Deviated Standards?
Speaker 3:I just want everybody to know that it takes a lot of love and hard work to go into creating this space for everybody to enjoy. My joy comes from when people come and show up and are present, and so I think that's just an important thing to know is that you know, even if you're just a little interested, show up. You never know. We try and have something for everybody. We don't cater to one specific area. We are all out there. We are just throwing everything at you and you get to choose what you want to learn and you know if people are still interested, I would suggest going to you know, guildofdeviatedstandardscom and apply now. We are vetting daily. I still have about 200 open spots for this year. So I would say, if you might even be a little bit interested, get online, apply and come. You never know who you're going to meet. You never know what you're going to learn or see. That might be your next joy.
Speaker 1:I do have one more question how did you come up with the name? Because I just love the name. I think it's fantastic.
Speaker 3:Okay, story time. So many, many, many moons ago about probably about 15, 16 years ago, before my husband and I married, we were he was my dominant and we were a part of, I guess, a tribe. We were just a bunch of people that had our own families. We were into completely different things, but we just enjoyed each other's company and we were like, hey, we should be a family. And so, because none of us were the same, we were. All of us are on the fringe of something.
Speaker 3:So we've decided on, instead of a family, we would be a guild and then we would be um, since we are so deviated in everything that we do everything that we want to do um everywhere that we go. We had a mathematician amongst us and he decided on deviated standards. So that became our leather family name. And over the years we've, all you know, a lot of us have gone separate ways and there's just that core group that still exists. And when we had the opportunity to make this event into our own, we gifted the event with our family name because we put so much of ourselves into it. Everybody who comes is really a part of our family. It's not just a membership. For me personally, it's a group of like-minded people. We are all different and we all fit. This is a place where we can all fit together. Personal thing to have this event and having gifted it our family name, and just so everybody can enjoy I absolutely adore that.
Speaker 3:That is amazing this is like a super like for for jareth and I, this, I, this is, this is our family, this is what we do, this is our life, we give our all and our family is our all.
Speaker 2:As an attendee. I very much appreciate that. Very much appreciate that.
Speaker 3:Thank you If you catch me saying that in one-on-one I end up crying, so I'm really glad this in in one-on-one I end up crying. So uh.
Speaker 1:So, once again, the dates for this year are august 1st through 4th. Uh is in denver, colorado. The website is guild of deviated standardscom. Facebook guild of deviated standards. Instagram gods Denver, uh. Twitter or X Denver. Underscore D S All right, so you game for uh inside the kinkster studio. Learn a little bit more about you. Absolutely.
Speaker 3:All right, what's your favorite?
Speaker 2:toy in your toy bag, learn a little bit more about you. Absolutely Alright. What's your favorite toy in your toy bag? Needles.
Speaker 3:Nice Hands down.
Speaker 1:Top or bottom for that.
Speaker 3:I'm usually a bottom, but I'm also a switch, so I'll stick you if you want me to. Okay, I used to be a piercer, oh cool. Yeah, I used to like all the tattoos except for my back piece and my hip piece. I've done all the tattoos on my body.
Speaker 1:You didn't do the one on your back.
Speaker 3:No, you know how hard it is to like turn your arms backwards with a mirror, like it doesn't work right what is your biggest pet peeve and kick people who think they know it all or that theirs is the only way I didn't prompt her to say that, just for the record I don't.
Speaker 3:I you know just as a teacher, there's no one way to do anything, and so if somebody is telling me, like this is the way you have to do it, and this is the only way to do it, I'm gonna look at you and come up with another way fair but what about this?
Speaker 1:I mean you're kind of jumping all over one of my catchphrases, but that's cool. So what are some of your catchphrases?
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, be what you want to see. That is my favorite one. That's why I dress the way I dress. That's why I do what I do. That's you know why I give the way I give is because that's what I want to see. Come back.
Speaker 2:What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
Speaker 3:I'm a closet introvert. Growing up I actually I actually probably would have been diagnosed Asperger's and it was really hard for me to to talk, and I will have to say this is probably one of the first times that I'm speaking without a nervous tick, so thank you for making me feel so comfortable.
Speaker 2:Aw you're very welcome. Yes, you're definitely welcome.
Speaker 1:If you could have a scene with one celebrity, who would it be, and why?
Speaker 3:I don't know if I'd want a scene with a celebrity. I like to scene with people. I know I scene based on energy, but maybe if it's scene celebrity and I really wanted to hurt the next day, I might want a scene with Mastro Stefanos, because he is hardcore.
Speaker 2:Oh, my favorite.
Speaker 1:Go right ahead.
Speaker 2:What's your favorite curse word?
Speaker 3:I like to say son of a monkey a lot. That is fantastic, You'll hear me I'll go to curse. And it's just because when I was teaching I wasn't allowed to curse my students, so I had to come up with another way. So there was a lot of son of a monkey and I mean just like stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Habits die hard sometimes, but understandable Nice.
Speaker 1:What is the best kink advice you ever received?
Speaker 3:Know the person you're playing with, like really have a conversation and get to know them before you agree to anything.
Speaker 2:What is the best compliment that you have received in kink?
Speaker 3:I'm gonna have to go back to last year's compliment about the event being so safe. Trans people could play in the pan space. Cool, Like that is my favorite compliment ever.
Speaker 2:I would definitely take that and run with it, because that is a hell of a compliment.
Speaker 1:Same would definitely take that and run with it, because that is a hell of a compliment, same. All right, we'll end with my favorite question, to ask if you had to, which muppet would you have sex with?
Speaker 3:huh, I'm gonna have to go with Oscar okay, and why? He's a little dirty and he lives in a trash can, but I'm a little dirty and a little curious fair, completely fair well.
Speaker 1:Thanks for coming on the show. Definitely thank you. You've been a great guest and hopefully our listeners have learned a lot about the Guild of Deviated Standards. For our listeners, upcoming synagogue in person and virtual classes, including the ones we'll be teaching at Guild of Deviated Standards, introduction to Body Drumming, and Leave your Mark, which is Guasha Quills and Guasha Quills and Cell Popping. I know what I'm talking about. I swear.
Speaker 3:I have to pull out your bio now.
Speaker 1:Electric Mayhem other like others classes. For more information on those classes, check out our website. But that's it, that's our show. Say goodnight Little Bit, goodnight Little Bit.
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