“You’re Going to Have to Have Brass Balls to Fuck With Us”: a Descriptive Phenomenological Investigation of the Experience of Stigma Among Full Time Consensual Power Exchange BDSM Practitioners

Abstract

Full-time consensual power exchange (FTCPE) refers to structured relationships in which one partner consensually transfers authority to another in daily life, expanding on practices common within the BDSM (Bondage & discipline, dominance & submission, and sadism & masochism) community. Despite the increased visibility of BDSM in the cultural landscape of the United States, FTCPE practitioners remain highly stigmatized, yet limited prior research has explored their lived experiences of stigma. This study addresses this gap using Giorgi’s (2009) descriptive phenomenological method to examine the essential nature of FTCPE stigma. Nineteen FTCPE practitioners participated in semi-structured interviews, revealing the fundamental experience of FTCPE stigma to be a complex interaction along a continuum of otherness and resistance. Four major themes emerged: Otherness, Intracommunity Conflict and Intersectionality, Concealment, and Resistance. Findings highlight otherness as a feeling of ostracization and being misunderstood reinforced both externally by societal disapproval and internally through expectations of rejection and shame. Intracommunity otherness emerged at identity intersections, particularly around race, gender, and body/ability, compounding feelings of marginalization. Concealment functioned ambiguously as both a reinforcement of otherness and a coping mechanism increasing resistance. Resistance manifested through projections of strength, minimization, and education, allowing practitioners to reclaim identity but also invited further stigma through increased visibility. Family, healthcare, and community settings operated ambiguously as key sources of both otherness and resistance. Critical insights for FTCPE/BDSM community leaders and practitioners, as well as clinical implications and future research directions for mental health professionals and BDSM researchers, are discussed. De-pathologizing FTCPE and BDSM is synonymous with investigating stigma-based negative physical and mental health outcomes.