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National Coalition for Sexual Freedom -- Media Update
September 3, 2007
www.ncsfreedom.org
1. Bondage case in final stages
2. A night of S&M ends in death. What happened - and who's responsible?
3. A trial like no other
4. "Mistress Gorgeous" busted for sex crime
5. Swingers sexploits
6. Why Lap Dances In Nashville Are Illegal But Group Sex Isn't
Bondage case in final stages
by John Mangalonzo
The Burlington Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa)
September 2, 2007
A bizarre case against a 62-year-old Sperry man that includes lust,
mind-control games, extortion, dual personalities and blackmail is
expected to see its final stages Tuesday pending the acceptance of a plea
offer placed on the negotiating table by Des Moines County prosecutors.
Thomas George Koehler, 10413 Stoney Hollow Road, is charged with
extortion, but has maintained his innocence. In December, he entered a
written plea of not guilty in Des Moines County District Court. Since
then, though, the case has seen a turbulent series of legal maneuvering.
Assistant county attorney Lisa Taylor said Friday that prosecutors have
offered a plea deal they believe will work for both sides. She declined to
disclose the particulars.
Koehler's alleged fall from grace was a slow, painful and degrading
chapter in the life of a Burlington woman.
The woman told Des Moines County sheriff's investigators she met Koehler
via the Internet earlier last year. The two met in person in August of
that year and started dating soon after. That relationship lasted five
weeks.
After ending the relationship, the woman received text messages from a
person who identified himself as "Jim" and said he was a friend of
Koehler's. The woman remembered Koehler had talked about Jim as someone
with high connections. Initially, Jim told the woman she should have been
more caring to Koehler.
Those messages quickly turned threatening when Jim told the woman Koehler
had given him bondage photos and videos of her, which he would send to
everybody in her e-mail address book, including her former husband, unless
she did what she was told. She was to check in with Jim via text messages,
among other things.
According to court files, Jim was aware the woman was going through a
child-custody battle with her ex-husband, and the photos could be used
against her. The woman also feared her employer would get the photos.
Soon, Jim's mind games to gain control over her escalated, the woman told
investigators. He demanded she perform sexual acts with Koehler involving
being tied up and tortured.
After refusing the request for sex, Jim threatened to have the woman
kidnapped, according to court files.
In October, the woman's former husband received the compromising photos.
The ex-husband told investigators he had been getting e-mail messages
seeking information about his ex-wife. Whoever e-mailed him, he told
deputies, claimed his ex-wife had a sadomasochism fetish.
[continued]
To read this entire article, go to:
http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/Extortion_case_090107
A night of S&M ends in death. What happened - and who's responsible?
by Jeannie Greeley
Exhibit A News
September 1, 2007
There are only two people who know the real truth behind this story - and
they're both dead.
Thirty-two-year-old Adrian Exley and Gary LeBlanc, a 48-year-old oil
executive, met for sex in April 2006 after communicating online continents
away from each other.
One would ultimately die of asphyxiation and be buried in a shallow grave
in Rhode Island. In turn, the other would shoot himself in the head in a
Wal-Mart parking lot in New Hampshire, leaving a suicide note with sketchy
details only.
Had this been a "typical" heterosexual murder-suicide, it might have made
headlines for a few days. But nothing about this story is typical - at
least not for the average reader. It involves sexual behaviors that many
people simply can't comprehend and fetishes that they might find
titillating at best, and repugnant or frightening at worst. Clouding the
story, meanwhile, is the murky issue of what constitutes consent when it
comes to adult sexual behavior.
"Nobody ever intends to die in BDSM [bondage and discipline; sadism and
masochism] activities", says Denise McWilliams, director of public policy
and legal affairs for the AIDS Action Committee in Massachusetts and a
former lawyer for the New England Leather Alliance. "Anytime you engage in
any activity that runs the risk of killing or seriously injuring somebody,
both parties have some responsibility there".
More than a year after the men's encounter, lawyers for the estates of the
deceased in the Exley-LeBlanc case are warring over culpability. Filed by
Exley's estate in Superior Court in Salem, the suit charges the estate of
LeBlanc with wrongful death as a result of negligence, recklessness and
gross negligence.
Just what did Adrian Exley consent to when he flew from the United Kingdom
to Boston to meet Gary LeBlanc? Was LeBlanc the risky sadist some have
claimed he was? Or did two consenting adults simply take their sexual
relations too far?
Much of what is known about this case has been gleaned from LeBlanc's
suicide note, and from police reports and court documents in the
wrongful-death suit. The complaint from Exley's estate paints the
following picture:
Adrian Exley and Gary LeBlanc met through the website
www.worldrubbermen.com. The two corresponded by e-mail, with LeBlanc using
the screen name "Rubrman" and Exley going by "Studpup".
Throughout their communications, LeBlanc expressed a desire to completely
dominate Exley, referring to him as "it" in e-mails and telling Exley that
he wanted to "rebuild it [Exley] into a real subhuman".
According to the complaint, LeBlanc's profile on the website stated that
he was seeking a person "bound, sealed in gear, plugged, tubed and under
control. Essentially into no limits s/m and looking for a 24/7 encasement
pig. FF, WS [white slave], BD [bondage], SM [sadomasochistic], full
shaving, piercings and tattoos".
Exley agreed to visit LeBlanc to engage in "bondage/discipline and
domination/submission sexual role playing".
Unbeknownst to Exley, the complaint states, LeBlanc had a reputation in
the BDSM community as being an "extreme sadist" and "extreme edge player"
who was unstable during his role-playing and inattentive to his bound
"slaves".
His practices allegedly included "storage", or leaving a bound body
unattended for an extended period of time. LeBlanc also allegedly
administered narcotics to his "slaves" and performed medical procedures on
them, including intubation and catheterization.
Exley arrived in the United States on April 20, 2006, and stayed at
LeBlanc's home in Lynn. But when Exley's family members didn't hear from
him for several days, they became concerned and contacted authorities in
early May.
On May 5, 2006, state and local police went to LeBlanc's house and
interviewed him. LeBlanc admitted to picking up Exley and engaging in sex
play. But, he told investigators that Exley decided to leave early, so
LeBlanc gave him $200 and dropped him off at the Swampscott train station
on April 23, 2006.
At the time, LeBlanc showed police his basement, which contained closets
with a variety of rubber suits and a playroom with heavy black rubber mats
on the floor and black rubber covering the walls. The space also contained
various sexual devices, restraining equipment and a hospital gurney
covered in rubber, according to the complaint.
On June 21, 2006, state and local authorities executed a search warrant of
LeBlanc's home and vehicles.
Two days later, LeBlanc put a gun to his head and ended his life, leaving
a five-page confession that included the sentence: "I am responsible for a
horrible tragedy that happened early Sunday morning on April 23rd".
Although the LeBlanc-Exley case is an extreme one, it has sparked much
discussion in the BDSM community, with people questioning the boundaries
of consent and the safety of their practices.
"It definitely has kind of a chilling effect", says Vivienne Kramer,
president of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and an executive of
the New England Leather Alliance. "But it also has a very divisive impact
on the community because people are very, very opinionated about what
happened. There are people out there that say, 'This is an example of
extreme sport like bungee-jumping and rock climbing, and it was a terrible
accident'. And there are other people that say, 'I've had experiences with
this person and he was a violent predator'".
One thing is certain. The legal landscape can be a minefield when it comes
to BDSM behaviors.
"All forms of S&M are completely illegal in every single state and
municipality across the country", says Kramer. "Anyone is subject to
arrest and prosecution at any time. That's just mind-boggling".
Unfortunately, she adds, "the people in our community think that it can't
happen to them - and it can".
"There are laws on the books in Massachusetts that say you cannot own any
instruments of self abuse, which basically is covering things like
vibrators and dildos", says Kramer. "So, any sex shop in Massachusetts ...
like Good Vibrations or Eros Boutique ... [is] illegal. Masturbation is
considered self-abuse".
While BDSM practitioners note that these antiquated laws are enforced
selectively, their bigger concern is the issue of assault and battery.
Courts have held time and again that, despite consensual sadomasochistic
behavior, individuals cannot agree to assault and battery.
[continued]
To read this entre article, go to:
http://www.exhibitanews.com/article.htm/2007/09/01/Killer-Sex-A-night-of-SM-ends-in-death-What-happened--and-whos-responsible
A trial like no other
by Shawna Morrison
The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va)
August 31, 2007
From the start, Bob Shell's case was about sex, drugs, adultery and a
death, all of which was interesting enough.
And then the trial began.
The court proceedings would end up including testimony from medical and
camera experts, models from across the country, even a former member of
The Allman Brothers Band. And hours upon hours of pure pornography was
shown to everyone in the courtroom as part of the evidence.
The trial was going to be about sex and drugs, Jonathon Venzie, Shell's
lawyer, had told potential jurors. Shell, a then-56-year-old man, who had
been married more than 30 years, fell in love with a 19-year-old -- a
"little girl," Venzie often said.
But Shell wasn't on trial for adultery or for pornography, Venzie told
them. Shell, in fact was on trial for causing the accidental death of
model Marion Franklin, who died from a morphine overdose June 3, 2003,
after a photo shoot in Shell's Radford studio.
Venzie told the jurors they might be disturbed by what they saw during the
trial, but they couldn't be tempted to punish him for his lifestyle.
What may have been the most unusual part of the trial came in the third
day of testimony, when jurors and others watched sexually explicit videos
for almost four straight hours. Shell and Franklin had been working
together to create a Web site, and the videos were shot as part of their
work.
After they played, the trial recessed for the day. Hardly anyone made eye
contact as the courtroom cleared.
It was clear, too, that Shell isn't just a regular Joe, even though his
photography studio, where many of the explicit bondage videos and
photographs were taken, is at 239 W. Main St., not far from traditional
Radford mainstays such as the Medicine Shoppe, the police station and
several churches.
Shell is an internationally known and well-respected photographer.
Witnesses testified they had spent hundreds to thousands of dollars
attending Shell's photography workshops.
Bob Story, who said he works at the University of Georgia College of
Veterinary Medicine and is also a photographer, testified that he had all
Bob Shell's books, including those published under the pseudonym Edward
Lee -- Shell's middle names.
"He's quite well-respected and often quoted in literature for his ability
and style," Story said.
Shell said he stopped counting after he had published 26 books. He has
written instructional manuals on photography, published a book of bondage
photographs that has Franklin on the cover, even a book about dinosaurs.
Ann Marie Pacheco, a graceful blonde in a flowing spaghetti strap top, was
one of six women who testified during the trial who said they had modeled
for Shell. Four testified for the defense and two for the prosecution.
One said she had been photographed for Playboy. Another said Shell had
paid her about $20,000 over the years she modeled for him.
Pacheco, who lives in Miami, said working with Shell was the "highlight of
my career. It's really a privilege and an honor to have been able to model
for him."
[continued]
To read this entire article, go to:
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/wb/xp-130285
"Mistress Gorgeous" busted for sex crime
by Michele McPhee
The Boston Herald
August 28, 2007
An S&M dungeon run by an Allston-Brighton couple allegedly trawling the
Web for johns was busted yesterday by police as part of a citywide
crackdown on Internet prostitution postings.
Kara Rogers, 27, aka "Mistress Gorgeous", and her husband Jacob Rogers,
29, were arrested yesterday for soliciting sex for pay on the Internet
classified advertising site craigslist.com, police said.
"We had more and more people complaining in community meetings that
strange men were lurking in their neighborhoods", BPD undercover detective
Jimmy Fong told the Herald. "These guys were hanging around waiting for
their appointments now that the Internet has brought prostitution inside".
Since the crackdown began, 40 illegal "massage parlors" and S&M dungeons
in the area have been shut down, and at least 100 suspected prostitutes
and johns have been arrested, Fong said.
"We use the Internet to try to get a handle on the prostitution problem.
Many of the street workers have been pushed out", Fong said. "They are
moving outside of the city".
Working undercover, Fong said he responded last week to a listing posted
on craigslist that read "gorgeous female available to meet submissive
men".
Kara Rogers, writing under the Web pseudonym "Miss Gorgeous", allegedly
informed Fong she is paid $175 a half hour for virtually everything,
including "spanking, role play, bondage, tease, bondage and toys".
A full hour of torture was $250, and an extra $50 earned a customer extra
benefits, according to Fong.
"I have my limits", "Mistress Gorgeous" allegedly wrote in her ad.
Fong said that after Rogers allegedly solicited him for sex in person,
citing her price, he left with the promise that he would return.
When the detective returned yesterday, he came armed with a search
warrant.
Rogers and her husband, Jacob, were charged with sexual conduct for a fee
and allowing a premise to be used for immoral purposes, according to a BPD
report. A basket full of paddles and sex toys was seized as evidence, Fong
said.
[continued]
To read this entire article, go to:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1019495
Swingers sexploits
by Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
The Chicago Tribune
August 24, 2007
Were it not for the hard-core porn flickering continuously on the TV, you
might have thought it a regular house party. A DJ was spinning hip-hop.
Guests chatted casually over a buffet of fried turkey, mashed potatoes,
green beans and bundt cake.
But the one-year anniversary bash this month for Tha Sex Kittens - a
Chicago "adult social group" that includes couples, bisexual women and
some single men - offered much more than dancing and dessert.
Venture upstairs to the designated sex rooms, and you could be in for a
swing.
Though swingers play behind closed doors, the lifestyle is alive and well
in the U.S. - and growing, thanks to the Internet. On weekend nights in
the Chicago area, the sexually uninhibited can find parties where
partner-sharing is the norm.
On the second floor, two "invitation-only" rooms with neatly made beds
awaited couples seeking company for their sexual escapades. A separate
"ladies only" room beckoned women with bisexual tendencies.
The third floor, a large lofted space with mattresses spread across the
floor and a big swing hanging in the middle, was reserved for group sex.
After 2 a.m., partyers weren't allowed upstairs unless they de-robed.
To many, the mention of swingers calls to mind the 1970s "key parties,"
where married couples would swap partners based on whose house keys they
fished out of a bowl.
Today, key parties have given way to swingers clubs, conventions and Web
sites that make it easy for couples to connect with others in "The
Lifestyle," as it's called, for threesomes, spouse swapping and any other
sexual arrangements that strike their fancy. The annual Lifestyles
Convention in Las Vegas this month drew some 2,200 people for a full
weekend of swinging.
"All you have to do is look at the prevalence of adultery," said James
Fleckenstein, president and CEO of the Institute for 21st Century
Relationships, the Herndon, Va.-based foundation for the National
Coalition for Sexual Freedom. "Some people are willing to come to terms
with this natural tendency and say, 'Is there something we can do that
will strengthen our relationship and not destroy it?'"
While there's no official number, an estimated 2 million to 4 million
people in the U.S. participate in swinging, and the ranks have grown
mostly because of the networking power of the Internet, Fleckenstein said.
[continued]
To read this entire article, go to:
http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/red-082407-swingers-main,0,3396196.story
To respond, write to: the editors at
http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/about/red-letterstoeditor,0,2460657.customform?coll=red-about-headlines
Why Lap Dances In Nashville Are Illegal But Group Sex Isn't
by P.J. Tobia
The Nashville Scene (Nashville, TN)
August 23, 2007
A large, doughy white woman is bent over naked on a bed in the middle of a
small, stuffy room. Behind her a tall man with rangy limbs and a neatly
trimmed handlebar mustache rams her with firm, staccato thrusts. His arms
are covered in sailor tattoos and his hands dig into her full hips.
"Oh God", the woman cries out, her voice a high, thin tremolo.
The man is naked while she's wearing only a thin halter-top, pushed up
past her small breasts, revealing a mass of white skin beneath. Her head
is in the lap of another woman who is clothed and holding a plastic cup.
The clothed woman sips out of the cup while laughing and talking with a
man who, also fully clothed, is lying next to her.
This isn't the plot of a Ron Jeremy classic. This is the second floor of
the Tennessee Social Club at 1 a.m. on a Saturday night. Downstairs, the
dance floor is packed and half-naked women are grinding and kissing to
T-Pain's "I'm in Love With a Stripper". Meanwhile, older couples, some
partially naked, sit together with friends, watching the scenery while
laughing or fondling each other's dates under the cocktail tables.
The club has been part of this city's sex culture for over 20 years. It's
changed location a number of times, though now it can be found just off of
Eighth Avenue South, across the street from a discount liquor store. It's
a private club - meaning that you pay a $25 monthly membership fee and an
additional door charge - but anyone can join.
But just down Eighth Avenue at another adult establishment, business isn't
quite as good. While consenting adults engage in a bacchanalian orgy over
at the social club or at nearby Minages, the ladies of Christie's Cabaret
pole dance before an empty room.
"Look at this", the club's manager says, dejectedly. "Saturday night and
I've got more dancers out here than customers".
What separates a business like Christie's from a place like the Tennessee
Social Club? Just three letters: SOB.
Under Nashville's Sexually Oriented Business ordinance - which began being
enforced last year - any strip club or cabaret must comply with a rigorous
set of guidelines that limit everything from a dancer's proximity to a
client (three feet) to the required height of a stage (at least 18
inches.) The SOB guidelines also require that dancers register with the
city, have a criminal background check and get fingerprinted.
While most in the adult entertainment business think that some regulation
is a necessity, almost everyone - from club owners to managers and
especially dancers - feels that the SOB guidelines and enforcement are
overly punitive and have decimated their businesses. In the past year
alone, at least three strip clubs have been shut down because - those in
the industry say - men don't want to pay to get into clubs where they
can't have lap dances.
And these business owners become nearly apoplectic when it comes to the
issue of equal enforcement - in other words, the strict regulation of
strip clubs vs. no regulation of sex clubs who promote and facilitate the
kind of behavior that the SOB laws were designed to prevent.
... businesses where actual sexual activity is happening - such as Minages
or the Tennessee Social Club - are beyond the purview of the SOB board
because they're private clubs. Jim Todd, a Nashville defense attorney
appointed in 2005 by Mayor Bill Purcell to head the SOB board, isn't a
religious zealot with a burning desire to stomp out sins of the flesh.
[continued]
To read this entire article, go to:
http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Cover_Story/2007/08/23/Why_Lap_Dances_In_Nashville_Are_/
To respond, go to:
http://www.nashvillescene.com/Information/contact_us/index.php
HOW TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Feedback letters are an effective way to convey a positive image of
alternate sexual practices such as SM, swinging, or polyamory. You can
help to correct negative social myths and misconceptions about these types
of practices. These letters help achieve the advocacy goals of the NCSF.
Generally, for a letter to be published, it's important to include your
name (or first initial, last name), city and daytime phone (for
verification only). For more information, see:
http://www.ncsfreedom.org/media/writelettertoeditor.htm
Please alert us to positive, negative or neutral stories about SM,
swinging and polyamory.
###
A project of NCSF and ITCR: The Foundation of NCSF
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) is a national organization
committed to altering the political, legal, and social environment in the
U.S. in order to guarantee equal rights for consenting adults who practice
forms of alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the
rights of consenting adults in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory
communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual
expression.
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
822 Guilford Avenue, Box 127
Baltimore, MD 21202-3707
www.ncsfreedom.org
Posted by:
Master Z
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
Board of Directors and
Coalition Partner Representative
http://www.ncsfreedom.org/
[Mod Note: email addresses and telephone numbers removed]
< Message edited by ModeratorEleven -- 9/4/2007 6:09:12 AM >
_____________________________
Master Z
Master Z's BDSM Resource Guide
http://www.masterzchicago.com
Master Z's Bio
http://www.masterzchicago.com/bio1.html
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
Coalition Partner Representative
http://www.ncsfreedom.org
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