CODE OF ETHICS

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These are general guiding principles (to be) agreed upon by our collective.

We hope this document evolves as we do. 

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Ancillary: The Kink Education Code of Conduct

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CORE PRINCIPLES

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ALLIANCE | AFFINITY | COLLABORATION

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We’re committed to bringing together some radically different approaches to modern sexuality.

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As such, there’s gonna be some challenges. But that’s the point.

To have a truly sex positive culture we have to acknowledge all the parts. ASS is a place to have these conversations, to learn from each other and challenge each other, always with respect and compassion.

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CONSENT & PRIVACY

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Consent is a cornerstone of modern sexuality education. We expect our educators to offer a consent education component in all their workshops. We highly recommend exploring and integrating the Mindful Consent Model (Mistress Tokyo / Grace Newman / The Consent Consultant), the Wheel of Consent (Dr Betty Martin) and common kink protocols such as SSC, RACK and PRICK. We may organise an online workshop for our collective with The Consent Consultant - if this goes well we will consider organising further trainings for our collective.

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We encourage discretion when speaking about experiences at our events. This is not to limit your voice - we love to hear how these spaces felt for you! However, sharing identifying information about participants can lead to real world consequences in their broader lives. Additionally, whilst our educators have a public persona, they may maintain a separation between this and their personal lives.

 

 

BODY + | Diversity & Accessibility

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We welcome all shapes, sizes, colours and ages (18+). All bodies are beautiful and deserving of pleasure.

Full accessibility is not always possible for a variety of reasons, but we encourage our facilitators to consider and communicate accessibility in their spaces and promotion.

 

 

CULTURE + | AntiRacism | Decolonizing Sexuality

 

CULTURAL AWARENESS, APPROPRIATION & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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We acknowledge that many of the praxis we teach come from long cultural traditions that have been decimated by colonialism. We are aware of issues of cultural appropriation and aim to educate our participants and selves in the cultural contexts of what we present. Acknowledgement of land and traditional custodianship is an important start. Acceptance of and enquiry into alternative sexual cultures is highly encouraged. Please try not to make assumptions about people based on skin colour or culture, and please use mindful and inclusive language.

 

 

Representation & Diversity

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We welcome all races and nationalities within our spaces as attendees and educators, and we aim to offer content that furthers the decolonization of sexuality. No racism will be tolerated through hateful language, infantilisation / devaluation of agency or any other implications of superiority / inferiority based on race.

 

 

SPICY + | NeuroDivergence | Mental Health | Trauma

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We encourage our facilitators to consider neurodiversity in their spaces and language. Communicating to participants that they are welcome to move their bodies, move in the space, witness rather than participate, or remove themselves from the space all cultivate a sense of safety. Awareness of sensory stimulations/ambience is also a critical part both of creating a great workshop container, and allowing participants greater accessibility.

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We encourage facilitators, helpers and participants to be aware, informed and compassionate about mental health. Often the topics and practices we cover can easily be entangled with trauma, and whilst it is impossible to guarantee a safe space and no triggers, we endeavour to practise harm minimization in the creation of our spaces.

 

What this looks like:

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• Minimizing the potential for NEW trauma to be experienced in our spaces.

• Communicating potential triggers both before and during the event, and allowing space for participants (and helpers) to remove themselves. Ideally a support team will be available during all events.

• AfterCare - checking in with participants (and helpers) for feedback. Asking specific questions within feedback forms around safety and possible improvements. Creating a safe space for participants to offer negative or challenging feedback, including external accountability partners.

 

 

WORLD + | Ecology, Community, Politics & Activism

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We endeavour to consider the ecological implications of our spaces and praxis. We endeavour to engage with community: those already involved in public sexuality spaces, and reaching out to the broader community.

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Our aim is sexuality education: both for individuals and society. The international political climate is sexually repressive - we are unwelcome on social media, experience financial discrimination, and are subject to the whims of assorted US legislation. But we are also incredibly lucky to live in Australia, in a place that is quite sexually progressive and liberated. We can do our work here with COMPARATIVE ease, and this gives us the capacity to reach out and speak out internationally. We encourage our facilitators to engage with these issues, and it is our intention to facilitate education of these topics.

 

 

Religion & Spirituality | Science & Psychology

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Within this collective are many different approaches to sexuality.

We ask for tolerance and open-mindedness, and for our facilitators to be open to learning as well as teaching.

 

 

SLUT+ | Shame | Sex Worker Rights

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It can be common in these spaces to promote one’s own vision of sexuality by comparison, to shame another’s choices in an attempt to build oneself up. We encourage our facilitators to explore their spaces of shame and judgement, and to consider their language both in promotion and event spaces.

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One of the most common areas of judgement and stigmatization is Sex Worker Rights. Many of our facilitators are vocational sex workers - they love what they do, they’re VERY good at it, and they have amazing knowledge to share.

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We do not condone whorearchy of any kind; we won’t tolerate any implication or claim that one form of consensual sex work is “better” than another. 

 

We don’t condone whorephobia; we don’t accept any claims that invalidate any forms of consensual sex work or that cast negative light on the choices of the individuals to practice their forms of erotic labour.

 

 

QUEER + | Gender | Sex | Fucking

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The current gender discourse climate is extremely heightened! And understandably so - it’s COMPLEX!

 

SEX = BIOLOGY | SEX = GENDER | SEX = FUCK

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We understand that gender and sex are different concepts. We welcome participants, helpers and facilitators to explore what gender, sex and fucking means to them. We want our participants, helpers and facilitators to feel as safe as possible in this exploration. We want people to feel welcome to ask uncomfortable questions, as long as the intention is understanding. We encourage our facilitators to meet these questions with compassion and knowledge. We encourage our facilitators to consider adopting inclusive language, and hope to offer an online workshop for our collective to explore how this sits within the framework of their praxis.

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We welcome exploration and expression of sexual desire and identity. We understand that framing limits in terms of legal or ethical concerns is deeply problematic, as these are often shaped by cultural conditions and institutions that are antithetical to informed, pleasurable sex. As such we prefer to ask our practitioners to exercise compassion to desire, awareness of potential trauma in their space, and harm minimization praxis.

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We will designate a few HARD LIMITS - no discussion or exploration of REAL WORLD pedophilia, bestiality or sexual assault will be allowed. There may be RARE INSTANCES where this is appropriate subject matter for the space - it is expected that this be communicated via content warning in promotional and event material,

and you are encouraged to have a support team available.

 

Many of our facilitators are queer and/or identify as occupying a gender spectrum rather than binary. ASS is very queer friendly! Please reach out to us if you would like to learn more about queer and trans politics and sexuality,

and how to integrate these into your work.

 

 

HATEFUL LANGUAGE

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It’s VERY difficult to police language. Freedom of expression is important, and many people aren’t good with their words. We must watch our words, and listen with a compassionate ear. Honest enquiry is beautiful. Intention is deeply important.

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Hateful language will not be tolerated in our spaces. Whilst we accept that the concept of “hateful” can be subjective, within our collective we define hateful language as derogatory and intended to cause harm. We will however start with the assumption of best intentions, and work to align on whether language used is inappropriate and intentionally harmful, or simply challenging. Wherever possible we will strive to use the most inclusive and positively framed language, however this comes with the awareness that we will not tolerate using the claim of “hateful language”

to shut down valid and challenging discussions within our collective.