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21 August 2005  Chatmag News Editorial.

Dennis Rader, the so called "BTK" killer, has been convicted and sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms for a series of murders in the Wichita, Kansas area.

BTK, or Bind, Torture and Kill, was the nickname Rader used for himself.

There has been a flurry of discussion in the various online BDSM related chat rooms and discussion forums regarding the BTK killer.  The BDSM community by and large has disavowed any connection between Rader and BDSM or Dominance and Submission (D/s), as practiced by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

On one BDSM forum, a submissive woman recounted an incident which happened to her while involved with a Dominant. She stated that the Dominant stopped his activity, afraid that he had "hurt her". A sub has the need for physical stimulations to produce endorphins, and those needs are met in bdsm in a variety of methods, from mild to what may be considered extreme. In her case, the Dominant was concerned that he had gone a bit too far.

Another forum post regarding BTK:

"Btk admits that his crimes have sadistic tendencies, that he takes "slaves", that he is a sexual deviant, and he mentions the word "control" quite a bit. It's been said that submissives may really be the one in control because they have to consent to the practice and because they have a safe word. I fully believe that some psycho could decide this is not enough and combine it with a need to kill, to have full control.

Granted there are ALOT of oddballs in the BDSM groups and of course the occasional "predator". BDSM'ers do try to take care of their own and keep those involved informed and safe. Not everyone can be protected from "evil doers" even in the real world...~sigh~.

Remember too, that it is only within the last twenty years or so that this "lifestyle" has come out of the closet so to speak and been given the coverage (good and bad). What BTK was practicing during the 70's + wasn't BDSM but some other sick perversion."

The primary tenet of BDSM is that all activity is "Safe, Sane and Consensual".  In addition, practitioners conduct a detailed negotiation prior to activity, discussing the various individual sexual and non sexual components, setting limitations.  The health and safety of both parties is constantly monitored, and no activity is attempted beyond the knowledge and skill level of either the Dominant or submissive. Of course, there are some practitioners deemed "wannabe's" that do not adhere to these principles, however, legitimate participants take pride in their concern for the safety and welfare of their partner.

People in BDSM generally have a higher awareness of their safety and take time to set up a system, including "safe calls" and "safe words".  For more detailed information regarding meeting someone in person, please see the related links below.

Rader used BDSM styled methods, however, no connection has been established between Rader and practitioners of BDSM. 

The case of Dennis Rader may cause people to be more cautious in their lives, both on and offline.  Meeting someone from online can be an enjoyable experience, if done with safety in mind.

Peter J. Carr
Publisher
Chatmag.com

Related Links:

Chat Safety: Meeting In Person.

Chatmag's BTK Discussion Forum.

Chatmag's BDSM Chat and Discussion Forum Listings.

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