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NCSF Files Amicus Brief on FOSTA
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NCSF’s legal team worked with ally organizations recently to file an Amicus Brief to support an important constitutional challenge to “FOSTA,” the Federal Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017.
FOSTA is part of a long history of harmful policies that conflate human trafficking and sex work and have resulted in extensive harms, according to the Amicus Brief filed by NCSF along with the Freedom Network USA, Sex Workers Project, New York Transgender Advocacy Group, Sharmus Outlaw Advocacy and Rights (SOAR) Institute, Decriminalize Sex Work, Free Speech Coalition, Brooklyn Defender Services, Protasia Foundation, Institute for Mind Body Therapy, and St. James Infirmary.
The Amicus Brief was filed in support of the Appellants in Woodhull Freedom Foundation, et al. v. United States, 334 F. Supp. 3d 185 (D.D.C. 2018).
NCSF and the other Amici demonstrate that FOSTA has dramatically impacted organizations as well as their clients, communities, and constituents. The harms that have resulted from FOSTA are numerous and widespread, and Amici show how various diverse populations have endured financial, emotional, and professional harm since its passage. In addition, businesses, groups and individuals have self-censored due to their reasonable fear of this law.
Commenting on this filing, Judy Guerin, NCSF Consent Counts Director, emphasized NCSF’s role in supporting efforts to end discriminatory and illegal measures that oppress and punish nontraditional sexual practices, in this case sex work. “NCSF’s mission of seeking decriminalization of all forms of consensual sex means we must be vigilant and must join with others in taking appropriate legal actions,” says Judy.
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Kink Clinician Guidelines
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N
CSF is proud to support the Kink Clinician Guidelines, a team of highly experienced clinicians gathered to explore what constitutes clinical best practices in working with those who are interested and/or involved in leather, kink, BDSM, and/or fetish eroticism.
Because our goal is to have this project be community-informed, we need YOUR input so our guidelines are culturally aware, clinically relevant, strengths-based, and useful. We invite community-members who are involved in kink/BDSM as well as clinicians, educators, and researchers familiar with the kink and fetish client experiences to share their ideas via our new 2019 Clinical Practice Guidelines Draft Survey. Your involvement will make these guidelines better informed, more culturally appropriate, and inclusive.
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Tacos & Tequila Sunday Fundraiser for NCSF
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By J. Tebias, NCSF Board Member
I know now that with guidance and help from an entire community, anything is possible. Bulge presents its “1st Inaugural Tacos & Tequila Sunday” and it was a great success! I am truly humbled that so many Leathermen and Leatherwomen showed up in support of a worthy cause.
To the Hideaway Bar, Jeffery Gwenn and staff, you made this venue easily accessible, crowd-friendly and welcoming. To everyone who whipped out the auction table and maintained their bids – THANK YOU! To my Atlanta Leather Family, Onyx, Onyx Pearls SE, The Panthers, Mr. Atlanta Eagle David Hardy, Ms. Atlanta Eagle Despoena Calypso, Rory Evans, Paul Swoird with Manifest, Barking Leather, 1st Capital Finance an NCSF Coalition Partner, and the entire Atlanta community – YOU ROCK! DJ Calvin Hemphill you are the glue that spins the magic! I can’t thank you enough!
My beneficiary for this event is an organization that is close to my heart and my board seat as Director of Titleholder Outreach Program for National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. It is my honor to not only raise nearly $1,700 for the organization but also share literature and information provided by NCSF. The organization provides countless FREE services ranging from consent information to referrals for Kink Aware Professional services. Thank you to Keira Harbison, NCSF Vice-Chair, for your participation.
I look forward to getting more leaders and specifically titleholders involved with NCSF. As I stated in closing during my IML36 speech, “We can accomplish more together than apart.“
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Incident Reporting & Response
1st Quarter 2019 Report
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NCSF’s Incident Reporting & Response received 41 reports & requests for assistance from individuals, groups and businesses in January, February and March 2019. This is down by over half compared to the 87 requests received in the 1st Quarter of 2018.
Find out the kind of reports we received in the 3rd Quarter.
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NCSF Thanks!
1st Quarter 2019 Donations
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Thank you to
Leather SINS, an NCSF Coalition Partner, for donating $10,000 to NCSF at Kinky Kollege Spring Break in Chicago on March 31
st!
NCSF thanks
Dark Odyssey Winter Fire for raising $6,550 specifically for NCSF at our annual reception, and an additional $7,866 was raised for all three beneficiaries—NCSF, Network La/Red and the Baltimore Transgender Alliance.
NCSF thanks
Jaiya, an NCSF Coalition Partner, for donating $1,670 to the NCSF Foundation altogether in the first quarter of 2019!
NCSF thanks
Mistress Lucille,
an NCSF Supporting Member, for donating $1,500 raised at Lucille Ballbuster's Birthday Bash in January.
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NCSF Annual Coalition Partner Meeting
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Thank you to all of the Coalition Partner representatives, Board Members, NCSF Advocates and staff for attending the 22nd Annual Meeting of the NCSF Coalition Partners in Portland, Oregon, on March 2-3rd. This year, the meeting again featured video conferencing, allowing people to participate without having to travel.
The Coalition Partner representatives elected the Board Members and discussed new and ongoing projects, like Consent Counts which aims to decriminalize sexual conduct between consenting adults.
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NCSF attended IMsL 2019
NCSF was excited to have Director D. Choc Trei vend at the 2019 International Ms. Leather / Bootblack weekend held April 11-15th in San Jose, California. We were happy to spend time tabling and continuing the consent conversation started by Elisa Vegas, IMsBB 2017 who organized the Consent Institute.
Highlights included connections to Community Builders around the world! One participant from Berlin stated our materials were “light years” ahead of the information being used. We were happy to provide her with extras to take home.
We learned that several people, from San Francisco to Canada, were interested in hosting local Consent Summits. They were referred to NCSF Directors, especially those coordinating efforts for the Northwest. All Title Holders were given J. Tebias’ contact information to join our new Titleholder Outreach program.
Much appreciation goes out to Sharrin Spector and all that supported helping launch Consent Conversations this year: Girl Ang, Patty Patty, Rio Spooner, Glenda Rider and Linda Clark.
In closing, we are sending our congratulations to Haley & Gretchen on their title wins!!
Thank you again IMsL/BB and the IMsL Foundation.
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Dark Odyssey Winter Fire Donates to NCSF
Dark Odyssey Winter Fire on February 15-18 in Washington, DC raised a total of $14,416 to give to charities. $6,550 was raised specifically for NCSF at our annual reception, and an additional $7,866 was raised in part through an auction with 139 items that benefited all three beneficiaries: NCSF, Network La/Red and the Baltimore Transgender Alliance.
We want to thank everyone for their donations and support, particularly the bootblacks, massage therapists and hair stylist who broke their fundraising record and raised over $2,500 for charity this year.
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New Mexico Leather League Donates to NCSF
New Mexico Leather League was pleased to support NCSF once again this year, with a contribution of $1,051 from their annual Leather Fiesta Coalition Partner’s Fundraiser. Local vendors, craftspersons, service providers, and individuals contributed some amazing items! And of course….a special thanks to auction-mistress "The Fabulous Ms. V” for organizing a well-run, very successful event.
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Dr. Lori Bisby and Max Rulz with Mistress Lucielle, an NCSF Supporting Member, who raised $1,500 for NCSF at the Lucille Ballbuster's Birthday Bash in January!
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AIS
, an NCSF Coalition Partner, donated $608 at Winter Wickedness, with $395 raised in their “Special Drawing,” and attendees donating $213 at the NCSF table for our Coffee & Consent service by Jackie "Bebe" Harris, NCSF Board Member.
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Judy Guerin, NCSF Board Member, and Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey, 2019 at the NCSF table at the National Sex Ed Conference produced by the Center for Sex Education (CSE) in Newark, New Jersey from April 3-6.
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Susan Wright, Chairperson for NCSF with Phoenix B and Adella, NCSF Advocates, and Kelly Beaton, Membership Director
at the NCSF Hospitality Suite at Southwest Leather Conference in Phoenix AZ, January 18-20.
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The Benefits of Coalition Partner Membership
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NCSF hosts a Coalition Partner Town Hall online every Quarter to discuss important issues facing our communities today. In September, we talked about how groups and events can deal with consent incidents, from questions to ask when investigating reports to liability issues and sanctions. This webinar was recorded exclusively for Coalition Partners.
At our next Coalition Partner Town Hall on April 28th will discuss NCSF's free resources and referrals, and what we can do for your club, group or business. Join NCSF today and take advantage of all our Coalition offers!
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NCSF is proud to highlight our Coalition Partner, the Carter/Johnson Library & Collection!
The Carter/Johnson Library & Collection is a collective history of various communities who have chosen to live and love differently. The Library, a 501(c)(3) organization, is chartered to bring this history to the communities that it serves. As the only library of its kind, its mission is to create an interactive relationship with the stories from the past and the present and link them to future generations.
The Library collection includes thousands of leather, fetish, S/m, kink and alternate sexuality books, magazines, posters, art, newspapers, ephemera and memorabilia dating back to the 1700’s. The Carter/Johnson Library is designed to put people in touch with their history by allowing them to hold it, read it, smell it and know it.
To find out more about the Carter/Johnson Library,
read on...
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Media Updates and Web Features
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NCSF Media Updates are a sampling of recent stories printed in US newspapers, magazines, and selected websites containing significant mention of BDSM-leather-fetish, polyamory, or Lifestyle issues and topics. These stories may be positive, negative, accurate, inaccurate or anywhere in between.
NCSF publishes the Media Updates to provide readers with a comprehensive look at what media outlets are writing about these topics and to urge everyone to make comments that dispute stereotypes about alternative sexuality. NCSF permits and encourages readers to forward these Media Updates where appropriate.
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NCSF is a grassroots coalition run by volunteers.
Your donations go directly to our advocacy efforts.
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Get In Touch!
822 Guilford Avenue
Box 127
Baltimore, Maryland
21202-3707
(410) 539-4824
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