Share Your Holidays with the CSPC Community

The year-end holidays are upon us, and how better to spend them than with your CSPC community? Join us from 5-7 p.m. via Zoom on November 24 for our Virtual Orphan Thanksgiving for conversation, laughter, and connection. Free for all attendees, but be sure you BYOP (Bring Your Own Pie)!

Let’s make New Year’s Eve a party to remember! Join us in person at Gallery Erato for a sexy midwinter night’s dream at NYE: La Rêverie. We’ll have all the special touches to help make your fantasies a reality, complete with photographer, tarot readings to look into the future of 2023, prize basket raffle, and a non-alcoholic toast at midnight! Have a special scene in mind? Contact us at SpecialEvents@theCSPC.org and we’ll help you craft your own steamy winter wonderland. Get your tickets today!

Hump History Year Nine: A Farewell to Charms

by Teeebone

By 2016, the CSPC had already been looking for a new home, as the terms of our lease were set to expire in the Fall of 2017, though the property owner ultimately negotiated a settlement for the CSPC to “leave early” a year sooner. Thus, Year Nine of the Hump was only seven months and a week long, but it was the year I felt I had worked the hardest yet.

A lot of staff turnaround took place, you see. At the end of January, the last core member from the founding Hump Team left. It was getting difficult to keep the party fully staffed. There was a general sense of exhaustion not just with my crew, but others as well. Even The Grind had gone from a weekly to a monthly schedule by then.

And yet, we were able to continue… The biggest challenge for this year was educating new members on scene etiquette, boundaries, and consent. I am very grateful that “consent culture” has become a thing nowadays because it helps educate those who are new in the community about what is acceptable behavior at our parties. The weekly tasks of event maintenance continued on a stable though busy “business as usual” routine throughout the year,so much so that it came as a surprise that the CSPC was going to leave its home sooner rather than later!

On September 7, 2016, I showed up at the Center at 4pm to run the very last Hump. I walked around the space, took in my memories and then an hour later got on with helping the crew set up the party one last time. We had a record breaking attendance, the tally being at ninety-nine, although I think there were a hundred plus due to a few walk-ins here and there.

It was an excellent finale, and when the last song was played on the DJ set, the attendees said their goodbyes and made their way home. I then joined the strike crew to clean stuff up and put things away. After the strike crew left, I was alone in the building where I did my last lockdown. At the DJ station, I took one last look at the Main Space in its dimly lit “after-hours” ambiance. So many memories, so much fun! I slung my backpack over my shoulder and then went to the front door, opened it, and stepped outside. I checked the lock and then went to my car. It was done.

I went back to attend the last Grind at the Center’s Interbay location the next day and then again for the Very Last Party the day after that. But that was it. On September 9, 2016, the last party was held at the CSPC’s original location. Then on September 15, the CSPC officially left the building that had been its home since 1999.

The Hump had perked along for more than eight years and had become a regular feature at the CSPC. It introduced many new members to the community as a “starter” party and served well in its function. To all of the volunteers who worked so hard as members of the Hump Team, I thank all of you so very much! We could not have done it without you!

Until next time... :^)

Want to be part of the volunteer team that starts the Next Great Party? Become a volunteer today!

Ask a (Sex-Positive) REALTORⓇ

by Rebecca Bingham

Warmest wishes to those who celebrate holidays in November, with a special thank you to Veterans on Nov 11th! Which happens to also fall on Leather Reign weekend this year. (And most years, tbh, as LR falls on the 2nd weekend in November every year).

I had a question already, and I'm so delighted!

Question: Would you mind discussing a little about WHY someone might "need" a kinky Realtor, and what is code-switching?

I'll start with code-switching. I really like this definition: "Broadly, code-switching involves adjusting one’s style of speech, appearance, behavior, and expression in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in exchange for fair treatment, quality service, and employment opportunities" from Harvard Business Review (https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-costs-of-codeswitching). So, in housing terms, I might suggest you ask your contractor to put in extra insulation for your temperature-sensitive hobbies, which will also provide GREAT soundproofing. You get your needs met, and it hasn't been outed to a workperson that you are making a kinky dungeon to tie people up in :) 

Also, by being a kink-friendly, queer Realtor, I can help with complicated issues such as a poly family where everyone is taking title although no one is married to each other without batting an eye. I work with a kink-friendly real estate attorney who can draw up the paperwork to make the agreements legal and binding, and kink-aware, queer lenders who understand that sex work is real work and will help ensure all your income is accounted for when investing in real estate, which is super helpful for pro-dommes and other sex workers. We can handle deadnames professionally, name changes, pronouns, and all sorts of queer situations with discretion.

Thank you for the questions, and I look forward to more! Please message me on Fetlife, or on FB, and of course, I won't mention your name.

Next month, I will include a market update. It's still Oct at the time of this writing. And of course, if you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell a house, please connect with me via my website or on social media.

Consent Corner 2.19

by Emma Atkinson and Rachel Drake 

Hello sexy readers! We hope you’re enjoying the lovely crisp weather that means November.  It’s fall and the trees are showing us how to let go of what we no longer need.  

Are you thinking that it might be time to add some new fun to your life? We’re talking about good consensual fun, of course.  

Adding something new might mean letting something else go. Marie Kondo suggests letting things go while thanking them for what they have brought to you. That sounds about right.

You may want to let go of old beliefs that are no longer serving you well. Maybe you could replace beliefs that begin with “I can’t…” to “I can…” or “I choose not to…”.  Beliefs that start with “If only…” or “I should…” might also be ripe for review and consideration.

While you’re pondering letting things go, here’s an important fact. Did you know that those expiration dates on condoms are for real? The material they’re made of can degrade or rot over time. Small holes in that material can make them unfit for their intended purposes and cause considerable grief to all involved. Toss them out, please!  

Embarking on new consensual adventures can be both exciting and scary. It might mean considering what assumptions you bring to the experience. Clearing away what no longer serves you well makes space to work on creating a consent framework that’s as beautiful and supportive as possible.  

Homework: think about a recent experience when you became aware of an assumption that turned out to be unfounded. Gently let it go, and then share it with us at: info@thecspc.org.

“Be excellent to each other” - Bill and Ted

“Be sexcellent to each other” - Emma and Rachel 

Join Us at LaQueer!

LaQueer welcomes the CSPC’s queer community for safer kinky and sexy fun. In honor of the spooky season, this month we invite you to come in costume. Show us your boo-tiful selves! 

We welcome all kinds of play and sex that are allowed under the CSPC’s rules, and welcome people all across the various spectra of queer identity. We will have rope suspension points, kink equipment like spanking benches and racks, and space for everything from cuddles to needles.

In addition, we will be providing materials to help you flag your level of willingness to interact with others. This is to help everyone feel safer in large group social events, and to increase accessibility for members of our community who struggle with socialization.

This is the queer party you’ve been waiting for, back and better than ever. Let’s get weird!

WHEN: Saturday, October 29, 8 p.m. to midnight

WHERE: The Gallery Erato, located in Pioneer Square at 309 1st Ave S.

COST: $25 ($35 for New Member tickets that include orientation + the party)

WHO: This event is for queer folx and their friends! “Queer" here is used as an umbrella term for anyone who identifies as not-heterosexual or not-cisgender, including but not limited to people who identify as: gay, lesbian, bisexual, genderqueer, agender, bigender, transgender, third gender, trans, genderfluid, gaymo, bicurious, asexual, homosexual, homofabulous, homoflexible, heteroflexible, intersex, questioning, pansexual, MTF, FTM, butch, femme, fag, dyke.

If you identify with one of these groups, then this party is for you!

If you aren't queer and are not attending with a queer person, we invite you to join us at a different event.  We know our parties are less frequent than usual, but we ask that you respect our intention to create a queer space with this event.

Want to come? Get your tickets online here! Not yet a member? Purchase a New Member ticket here! New Member tickets include mandatory New Member Orientation, your first month’s membership fee, and entry to the party immediately following orientation.

Virtual Orphan Thanksgiving

Welcome to the return of our annual Orphan Thanksgiving party, Thursday, November 24 from 5-7 p.m.! It’s free, though we welcome your donations. Anyone 18+ can attend, members or not - we just want everyone to have the choice of fun company on the holiday in this age of Covid. Whip out that computer or phone, register online, then Zoom in to enjoy amazing conversation and titillating laughter, meet new friends, and greet faces you’ve missed. One thing we can guarantee - you always roll a Yahtzee playing with the animal crackers in this box! See you there!

If you feel like you need help, visit https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988.  If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

Email Turtle or Teeebone at specialevents@thecspc.org with questions about our Virtual Orphan Thanksgiving.

Have more questions? Check out our FAQ! We are a 100% volunteer-run organization, so it helps us immensely if you check the FAQ before emailing us. Thank you!

2022 NYE: La Rêverie!

It's the end of 2022, and do we ever deserve to let loose before 2023 kicks in! 

Let’s celebrate with a Midwinter Night's Dream. La Rêverie, if you will. We know you've been holding off on that fantasy sex scene…that memorable BDSM deep dive with a special someone. What could be a more perfect setting than New Year’s Eve??

Saturday, December 31, 2022? Sounds like an auspicious date for some sexy savoir-faire! Tickets are only $35 each! 

Dream a little dream for New Year's Eve!

Dress to impress as we co-create the final sex & BDSM party of 2022! 

Your entry includes:

1. Dance floor & music by our hypnotic DJs

2. BDSM & sex play areas on both floors

3. Scheduled scene(s) on the stage (email tk@thecspc.org to get involved!)

4. Sexy dancers on mini-stages (email tk@thecspc.org or DM ObliqueBanter)

5. Fun snacks

6. Soda and juice 

7. A midnight virgin toast

8. Commemorative photo

9. Tarot Readings by ObliqueBanter

10. Each attendee receives a raffle ticket for the ‘End of the Year Raffle Drawing’ for a beautiful basket to be drawn right before midnight! (Must be present to win!)

Discover an evening of dreamy hedonism brought to life as we ring in 2023 together!

VOLUNTEER! We need you to make this happen! If you’d like to volunteer for the party (and get in free,) contact TK or Teeebone at specialevents@thecspc.org or DM us on Discord.

Donate Now to the Fucking Fabulous Fall Fundraiser!

by Eirikah Delaunay

My favorite thing about the CSPC is the community (and that’s saying a lot, because WOW there’s a lot to love about the CSPC). This fall we’ve created a way to get to know each other better while contributing to the community we all love–the Fucking Fabulous Fall Fundraiser!

You are invited to donate your skills or your stuff for our online auction that will run for two weeks of bidding beginning the day after Thanksgiving, just in time for holiday gift buying. This is a fantastic opportunity to share your talents or your goodies with our community! Are you a business owner? Donate the service or product you sell and advertise your business to our community in the item description!

We’re already seeing exciting items rolling in! Would you like a thoroughly negotiated flogging or a class in fire play? Or perhaps a perfectly smoked brisket to be the star of your holiday buffet? A tarot reading to look ahead at what 2023 has in store for you? Maybe a sybian would tickle your fancy–it’s okay to buy yourself a gift, too! 

We’ll begin posting items on the auction site soon so folx can start their window shopping early. What delights do you have to share with our community? Whether they are sexy, beautiful, or just plain useful, we want to celebrate the treasures you have to offer.

All purchases will help the CSPC achieve its mission to create spaces to celebrate, develop, and explore sexuality and sensuality among a diverse and supportive community. And that is simply Fucking Fabulous!

The link to the donation form will be added to the CSPC website soon. (Donations of services that involve two-way nudity/sex acts will not be accepted, in alignment with CSPC policy.)

Hump History Year Eight: Eight's Not Enough

by Teeebone

The eighth ‘season’ of the Hump started out with a bang as we ushered in 2015. The New Year’s Eve party was always a big event, so we held “An Intimate Affair: A Sexy Dinner before the NYE Festivities.” This was a high protocol dinner before the party began, with such menu items as Sweet Kale Gourmet Salad, Mini Beef Wellington with Bacon, Cranberry Green Beans, Garlic Smashed Potatoes, and New York Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce, just to name a few! Dinner was served in the Annex from 6 to 9pm, with the space being converted into a dessert bar and play space afterward.

At 7pm, the Hump (in the Main Space) opened for the two-hour social and then at 9pm, it was ‘Party On!’ with the doors opening for the Whump (in the RAW Dungeon) and access granted to the Annex. At midnight there was a toast featuring sparkling apple cider to ring in the new year. All of this required extra staff to make happen, and the volunteer corps stepped up to carry the celebration off beautifully. The NYE party always takes a lot of work, but I have noticed that the membership genuinely appreciates the event and the effort that we put into it.

By the second half of January, I realized that my work schedule had gotten so full that I made the decision to step away from running OMG SX! (formerly the Luv Shack), the monthly sex-focused party I had put together four years earlier. I handed the keys over to my successor, and they made some changes and ran the party until the CSPC shut down in September of 2016.

On February 14th, Fifty Shades of Grey was released as a movie. And then suddenly, everyone in America wanted a good old-fashioned, over-the-knee, open-handed spanking! The kink-curious quotient shot skywards. This unprecedented growth in our community was exciting, but it also required a lot of tender loving care and gentle reminders to new members about etiquette and how to play within our community.

From spring into summer, there were some arguments between staff members over cell phone use and what constituted proper enforcement of the rules which required an extended period of negotiation to settle the disputes. I did my best to not let the conflicts sap my strength and instead focused my energy on running the Hump.

In July there was more discussion about the CSPC’s policy on suspensions. The Hump was always a suspension-friendly event, usually having 1-2 suspensions each night. The catalyst for reviving this ongoing debate was an incident involving a member who misrepresented themselves and attempted to do a suspension with unapproved gear. The scene was stopped and the member protested this, but we held firm. We have rules about suspensions and they need to be followed. So, from summer into fall clarifications were made, rules updated, and changes duly noted.

Our volunteers are always working to make our parties sexy, fun, and as safe as possible. Another staff duty from back in the day: Checking the parking lot and offering to escort attendees to their vehicles when leaving. Usually at 25-30 minute intervals, I would grab a flashlight and check the parking lot for weirdness. Only on rare occasions would something be weird. Escorting attendees to their vehicles (and sometimes to the nearby bus stop) helped add a layer of safety that attendees greatly appreciated. Did I mention that the “Buddy System” works? When you come to the Center, bring a buddy!

The year ended with a well deserved “Whew!” as the Hump watched the holiday season pass by without having to worry about the upcoming NYE party. I even managed to have that night off!

Until next time... :^)

Want to be part of making sexy dreams a reality in our community? Become a volunteer, either party-facing or behind the scenes! Complete the online orientation and volunteer application today!