Center for Sex Positive Culture
Encyclopedia
The Center for Sex Positive Culture or CSPC (formerly known as The Wet Spot) is a non-profit, membership-based organization located in Seattle, Washington. It organizes events and provides space for several different sex-positive
subcultures, notably BDSM
, swinging
, and polyamory
groups. It caters to both heterosexual and LGBT
people. The Center is a 501(c)(7) recreational club; its sister organization, the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture is a 501(c)(3) charitable/educational organization.
The organization held its first event, a fundraiser, in March 1999.
district. Membership is open to anyone over the age of 18 who has attended an orientation class and agrees to the organization's rules of conduct. There is also an annual membership fee. Volunteers organize and run most events. One of the few employees is executive director
Allena Gabosch, who is frequently referred to by the members as "Mom."
The space includes a library including a wide variety of books on sexuality
and kink
, as well as several flavors of pornography
.
Specific regular events include:
The same physical space is used in various configurations for different events. Some have only tables and chairs, other prominently feature dungeon
equipment with an adjoining social area, plus private spaces for those who wish to avoid voyeurs
.
Annual events organized by the CSPC include:
In November 2008 the Center for Sex Positive Culture was scrutinized in a KOMO-TV
report regarding the Center's non-profit status, and the sexual activities which occur there. The story was criticized by Dan Savage
and others for inaccuracies, and was later pulled from the station's website.
Sex-positive
The sex-positive movement is an ideology which promotes and embraces open sexuality with few limits. Sex positivity is "an attitude towards human sexuality that regards all consensual sexual activities as fundamentally healthy and pleasurable, and encourages sexual pleasure and experimentation...
subcultures, notably BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
, swinging
Swinging
Swinging or partner swapping is a non-monogamous behavior, in which both partners in a committed relationship agree, as a couple, for both partners to engage in sexual activities with other couples as a recreational or social activity...
, and polyamory
Polyamory
Polyamory is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved....
groups. It caters to both heterosexual and LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people. The Center is a 501(c)(7) recreational club; its sister organization, the Foundation for Sex Positive Culture is a 501(c)(3) charitable/educational organization.
The organization held its first event, a fundraiser, in March 1999.
Membership and activities
The CSPC's primary location was known as and is still sometimes referred to as The Wet Spot. It is a nondescript 10000 square feet (929 m²) group of buildings in Seattle's InterbayInterbay, Seattle, Washington
Interbay is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington in the United States consisting of the valley between Queen Anne Hill on the east and Magnolia on the west, plus filled-in areas of Smith Cove and Salmon Bay...
district. Membership is open to anyone over the age of 18 who has attended an orientation class and agrees to the organization's rules of conduct. There is also an annual membership fee. Volunteers organize and run most events. One of the few employees is executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
Allena Gabosch, who is frequently referred to by the members as "Mom."
The space includes a library including a wide variety of books on sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
and kink
Kink (sexual)
In human sexuality, kinkiness and kinky are terms used to refer to a playful usage of sexual concepts in an accentuated, and unambiguously expressive form....
, as well as several flavors of pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
.
Specific regular events include:
- BDSM socials and pansexual BDSMBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
play partiesPlay party (BDSM)In BDSM, a play party is also a social event in which people practice BDSM and socialize with like-minded people. The organizers often provide some large pieces equipment to which people can be tied while the party goers usually bring their own whips, canes, restraints etc....
every Saturday. - The Grind, a dance night featuring gothicGothic rockGothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
and darkwaveDarkwaveDark Wave or darkwave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands...
music as well as BDSMBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
and sexualHuman sexualityHuman sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
activities every Thursday. - WERK Lounge, focused on socializing, dance, and other sex positive activity, held monthly on the fourth Friday.
- Monthly homosexual focused men only nights and women only nights on Fridays.
- Monthly massageMassageMassage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...
nights on Sundays. - Monthly bondageBondage (BDSM)Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
parties on Sundays. - Monthly PolyamoryPolyamoryPolyamory is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved....
potluck on Sundays. There is also a play party following the potluck. - Various discussion groups, classes, and workshops.
The same physical space is used in various configurations for different events. Some have only tables and chairs, other prominently feature dungeon
Dungeon (BDSM)
In BDSM sexual play, a dungeon is any space set aside for "scene" activities.Private dungeons are often fabricated in residential basements or spare rooms...
equipment with an adjoining social area, plus private spaces for those who wish to avoid voyeurs
Voyeurism
In clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....
.
Annual events organized by the CSPC include:
- The Seattle Erotic Art FestivalSeattle Erotic Art FestivalSeattle Erotic Art Festival was founded in 2002 by the Center for Sex Positive Culture. It is currently the flagship program of the nonprofit Foundation for Sex Positive Culture....
. - Paradise Unbound, aka Wet Spot In Paradise, an annual kinky campout.
- Cirque du Noc, masquerade ballMasquerade ballA masquerade ball is an event which the participants attend in costume wearing a mask. - History :...
and carnivalCarnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
.
History
Founded in 1999 as the Seattle Sex Positive Community Center, it later became known as The Wet Spot. Socially speaking, it is an outgrowth of Allena Gabosch's Beyond the Edge Cafe, which hosted BDSM related events. Several regulars of the cafe started discussing getting a dedicated space for their activities. One famously quoted "It would be great if we could get 200 members." In fact the idea became more popular than they envisioned; in its first year The Wet Spot registered about 2,000 members. In September 2007, they reached 10,000 registered members, although not all of them are current members. In 2007 the organization also changed its name to the Center for Sex Positive Culture and opened a second, "annex" building.In November 2008 the Center for Sex Positive Culture was scrutinized in a KOMO-TV
KOMO-TV
KOMO-TV, virtual channel 4, is a television station in Seattle, Washington. It is an affiliate of ABC and broadcasts on digital channel 38. KOMO-TV is the flagship station of Fisher Communications, and its studios and offices are co-located with sister radio stations KOMO , KVI , and KPLZ-FM ...
report regarding the Center's non-profit status, and the sexual activities which occur there. The story was criticized by Dan Savage
Dan Savage
Daniel Keenan "Dan" Savage is an American author, media pundit, journalist and newspaper editor. Savage writes the internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column Savage Love. Its tone is frank in its discussion of sexuality, often humorous, and hostile to social conservatives, as in...
and others for inaccuracies, and was later pulled from the station's website.
External links
- Center for Sex Positive Culture — official website
- Seattle Erotic Arts Festival
- Paradise Unbound
- Cirque du Noc