MsTwisted

MsTwisted, began her leather journey over 15 years ago in the Dallas community.  She has served as co-chair for NLA-Dallas; was a founding member/co-owner of Inquisition-Dallas; original faculty member for both The boy’s Training Camps and The Master’s Retreat.  She is a lifetime member of NLA-Dallas and Bound by Desire, a women’s leather club based in Austin, Texas.  MsTwisted was named NLA-International Woman of the Year in 2000.  

Also a clinical social worker, she is proud to have co-produced with Mark Frazier and Hardy Haberman, the video “Out of the Darkness”.  This film, the first of its kind, was produced to help educate mental health and other care-giving professionals about the leather community.  MsT remains committed to helping the mental health profession understand leather sexuality as a healthy choice rather than as abnormal behavior.

As such, she has presented accurate information about leather folk in several professional conferences. She may be the ONLY SM practitioner to have ever been paid by the State of Texas for presenting an SM 101 Safety workshop!!

MsTwisted currently resides in Austin Texas with her two cats, one a femme-dom and the other a submissive boy!

Emotional First Aid in a Scene

Loss of emotional balance or "freaking out" due to sensory or emotional overload may be one of the most common SM emergencies in the scene.  Following basic safety procedures and playing at appropriate skill levels will go a long ways towards preventing this response.  However, even with the best of negotiation, sometimes SM play unexpectedly touches an emotional hot spot.  Repressed memories get triggered; phobias get set off, etc.  We're attracted to SM's intensity but at times, it's that very intensity that proves too much for the mind and/or body at one time.

Leather Dyke Panel

This is a panel discussion about Leatherdykes and our relationship to the larger BDSM community.  Topics include the hisory of lesbians/dykes in Leather and the many doors we've come into the community through.  It will also discuss the distinct issues facing leatherdykes in the community today.  Points of discussion also include:  Maintaining our identity in a pan-sexual culture, dyke drama and how to avoid it, the role of Butch/Femme in the leatherdyke community, what's unique about leatherdyke BDSM play, dealing with primarily heterosexual groups/play space, the impact of transitioning gender, and the specific contributions leatherdykes bring to the community.  All are welcome to participate and gain insight into this unique and often not widely understood part of the community.