The Eulenspiegel Society
Encyclopedia
The Eulenspiegel Society (TES) is the oldest and largest BDSM
education and support group in New York City
, where it is based, and claims to be the oldest group in the United States
. The group takes its name from a figure in medieval German folklore, Till Eulenspiegel
.
TES is a not-for-profit organization that states that it "promotes sexual liberation for all adults, especially for people who enjoy consensual S/M." They regard sexual liberation as essential for a society to be truly free, and they are particularly concerned about the freedom of sexual minorities, including that of the BDSM
community. They also devote energy into supporting charities such as HIV
prevention and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
.
The group was originally an informal association set up by Pat Bond in the fall of 1971 as a support group for masochists. They originally met in members' homes, and then met in rented space in theaters and churches. The group currently claims membership of 450 people nationwide. TES functions include classes and workshops on a weekly basis and frequent social events.
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...
education and support group in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where it is based, and claims to be the oldest group in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The group takes its name from a figure in medieval German folklore, Till Eulenspiegel
Till Eulenspiegel
Till Eulenspiegel was an impudent trickster figure originating in Middle Low German folklore. His tales were disseminated in popular printed editions narrating a string of lightly connected episodes that outlined his picaresque career, primarily in Germany, the Low Countries and France...
.
TES is a not-for-profit organization that states that it "promotes sexual liberation for all adults, especially for people who enjoy consensual S/M." They regard sexual liberation as essential for a society to be truly free, and they are particularly concerned about the freedom of sexual minorities, including that of the 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...
community. They also devote energy into supporting charities such as HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
prevention and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is a pro-sexual freedom, advocacy and educational organization founded in 1997 in the United States...
.
The group was originally an informal association set up by Pat Bond in the fall of 1971 as a support group for masochists. They originally met in members' homes, and then met in rented space in theaters and churches. The group currently claims membership of 450 people nationwide. TES functions include classes and workshops on a weekly basis and frequent social events.