Meet Bemima, a highly intelligent, well-educated woman. Happy and well-adjusted she volunteers in her local community, has a wide network of friends and also happens to be a masochist and submissive. She has found satisfaction, and dare we say completion. One of the features of her D/s relationship is the taking of photographs. They have, upon occasion been used to humiliate, a feature of BDSM which can appear abusive to some on the outside, but as well as being arousing tends to teach a sub about themselves and their limits. More generally though she looks on these pictures with pride. The uploading of them to various sharing sites has been instrumental in her ever-growing confidence and self-esteem.

As a sub she is particularly proud of those that show her marked. Wherever subs revel and quaff the subject of marks will come up. Even those who do not describe themselves as masochistic often delight in these most visible reminders of their Domly Ones attention. Subs will lament the fading of bruises and when they describe the pattern left by a caning as “beautiful” they are not just being polite. Bemima is what some would describe as a painslut, (though I have on good authority she feels she is a bit is a woose, sometimes crying after a mere 10 or 12 strokes!) A painslut, as far as she understands the term is someone who can come from the pain, and Bemima has on numerous occasions, massive body shaking orgasms purely from the contact of cane, crop, hand or belt on buttocks or breast.

She particularly likes her breasts being caned as with very pale skin they tend to mark very well, leaving an ever-growing , ever-changing rainbow to remind her of past pleasure and pleasure yet to come. A wise man once told his sub that  should she feel low after   they met ,what some describe as sub drop, (but that is for another blog) she should simply press her bruises. It always works.

At this point it might be nice to include some visual aids to try to explain the beauty Bemima and 1000′s like her find in their markings, it might be nice, but sadly I cannot.

Others better qualified have written very eloquently on #porntrial, and the problems that still remain. I highly recommend this article by Chris Ashford.  He highlights the very real dangers those of us who live a life less vanilla face. This list from the article explains why.

• sadomasochistic material which goes beyond trifling and transient infliction of injury
• torture with instruments
• bondage (especially where gags are used with no apparent means of withdrawing consent)

What is trifling and transient? What is torture? What happens when the sub eschews safe words and replaces them with mutual trust and respect?

There is a particular moment that comes to mind  Bemima hooded, something sharp traced against her skin. To this day she does not know if it was a knife or some other sharp instrument. It was a moment of deepest trust as she remained still, a study in consent and submission. She also came very close to simply melting into an orgasmic puddle on the floor. However had that moment been filmed it is hard to see it not falling foul of our ridiculous laws on extreme pornography. She had no visible way of withdrawing consent, although she simply would have moved away if she wished too.  The pictures of her caned breasts and buttocks, are they trifling injuries? The law refuses to accept that Bemimas consent should be paramount.

#Porntrial may be over, but the fear of persecution simply for your sexuality remains, and it seems the CPS is eagerly looking for its next victim.