National Coalition for Sexual Freedom

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) is a pro-sexual freedom, advocacy and educational organization founded in 1997. With more than 50 coalition partners and over 100 supporting organizations representing thousands of consenting adults who engage in alternative lifestyles, NCSF is the only organization in the United States with a dedicated mission to advance the cause of tolerance, non-discrimination and education for adults involved in alternative lifestyles. The organization's is main office is in Baltimore, Maryland. However, its members, coalition partners, board and volunteers are based across the United States.

Mission statement

"The NCSF is committed to creating a political, legal and social environment in the US that advances equal rights for consenting adults who engage in alternative sexual and relationship expressions. The NCSF aims to advance the rights of, and advocate for consenting adults in the BDSM-Leather-Fetish, Swing, and Polyamory Communities. We pursue our vision through direct services, education, advocacy, and outreach, in conjunction with our partners, to directly benefit these communities."

NCSF is the only group in the USA with a national mission committed to changing the political, legal and social environment for those involved with the BDSM, swinging and polyamory communities.

Programs

The Media Outreach Project

NCSF's Media Outreach Program provides sound bites and tactics for anyone dealing with the media. Spokesperson Susan Wright regularly gives media trainings and conducts over 60 interviews every year, influencing the coverage of alternative sexuality issues. NCSF Media Updates, feature articles about BDSM, swinging and polyamory, and provides contact information to write letters to the editor in order to influence how editorial decisions are made in the future. In addition, NCSF's media outreach project works to educate members of alt.sex communities on how they should deal with press and conducts press awareness and response workshops.

Kink Aware Professionals

NCSF took custody of their newest program, the Kink Aware Professionals (KAP) free referral list, from Race Bannon. NCSF created new KAP materials and literature and is actively recruiting additional psychotherapeutic, medical, legal and other professionals who are knowledgeable about and sensitive to diverse expressions of sexuality.

Education Outreach Program

The Education Outreach Program (EOP) is run by NCSF's educational Foundation. The NCSF Foundation supports the freedom of consenting adults to "discover and to practice the intimate relationship structure that best meets their emotional and human needs." The Education Outreach Program is designed to educate law enforcement officials, and to educate constituents about the risks of selective enforcement and how to minimize the risk of becoming a target. NCSF has published a number of pieces of literature for this program and has trained a team of individuals from across the country to deliver educational presentations.

DSM Revision Project

The American Psychiatric Association has formed working committees to revise by 2011 its Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM), the definitive resource on the Diagnostic Criteria for all mental disorders. Statements currently within the DSM Paraphilias criteria are contradicted by scientific evidence, therefore NCSF must conclude that the interpretation of the Paraphilias criteria has been politically – not scientifically – based. NCSF believes this politically motivated interpretation subjects BDSM practitioners, fetishists and cross-dressers to bias, discrimination and social sanctions without any scientific basis. NCSF calls on the American Psychiatric Association to remove or drastically restructure the Paraphilias section in the DSM. NCSF is actively working to make sure this revision isn't politicized and that the "shame based politically based paraphilias section of the DSM" be completely revised.

Consent Counts

In 2007, NCSF organized a leather leadership roundtable at the Creating Change conference to discuss the goals of the BDSM-leather-fetish communities. The number one priority was determined to be the decriminalization of BDSM. A subsequent townhall meeting at LLC was held to further discuss this goal and to establish an outline for a working plan for this 10–15-year project. This is a community-wide project with participation by national groups as well as activists to help determine the plan to accomplish this goal. In early 2010, it was determined that it would be in the best interest of this project for NCSF to take a leadership role. Since NCSF had already established the DSM project as a major area of focus, it made sense to also add the Consent Counts project as a major focus. Judy Guerin, former Executive Director of NCSF and long-time sexual freedom activist, recently re-joined NCSF as the Consent Counts project director.

Partnerships

Over the past decade, NCSF has formed several alliances with other advocacy organizations to work on projects that defend sexual freedom rights: Free Speech Coalition, the American Civil Liberties Union, American Association of Sex Educators Councilors and Therapists, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, among others.

Currently NCSF has more than 50 Coalition Partners who elect the board and establish the yearly goals at the annual Coalition Partner meeting. Coalition Partners are groups and businesses and individuals that serve BDSM, swing and polyamory practitioners. NCSF also has over 100 Supporting Members: groups and businesses who actively support NCSF - these groups total tens of thousands of members.

See also

• Sexual Freedom Coalition (SFC, a similar organization in the United Kingdom)
• Nitke v. Gonzales (a case involving Barbara Nitke and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom regarding internet obscenity)

External links

• NCSFreedom.org (official)