Consent Advocacy Training for Volunteers

We are excited to announce a new training opportunity! As part of our ongoing work to update and expand our consent policy and practice, we have partnered with Consent Academy to create an exclusive Consent Advocacy workshop, just for CSPC volunteers!

This two-part, six-hour course will cover:

• The expectations and basics of the Consent Advocate role

• Communication and active listening skills

• Working with trauma and people caught in acute trauma reactions

• Consent-Focused Psychological First Aid

• Bystander intervention and de-escalation skills

• Supporting those involved in a consent incident

Yours to keep:

• Consent Advocate handout and presentation slides

This workshop is intended for those currently volunteering in one or more of the following capacities: Event Coordinator, Monitor, Event Host or Champion, Orientation Leader, DG Host, Tech Host, Team Captain, Discord Mod, Tasting Top, or Board Member. It is a requirement for volunteers who wish to become part of the upcoming Consent Advocate Team. Click here for more information on becoming a Consent Advocate.

This workshop is being offered at a reduced rate. For the same price as attending a CSPC event, ($25-35), this workshop offers information and skills applicable in everyday life, opens the door to enriching volunteer opportunities, and entitles you to add this Consent Academy training to your résumé. There will be a limited number of scholarships available.

Who: active volunteers (max. 35 participants)

What: six-hour workshop

When: Saturday November 11th and 18th, 1-4pm (this is a two-part workshop)

Where: online

Why: to be considered for the Consent Advocate Team and/or to expand your understanding and ability to create and maintain consent culture within our community

How: registration information coming soon

If you have questions or are unavailable on these dates, contact Skitty at HRdirector@thecspc.org. The next opportunity for this training will be in early 2024.

CSPC Communications Team Volunteering

As our organization and local community continues to grow, so does our Communications Team. We are looking for additional volunteers to assist in maintaining our social media presence! See below for volunteer descriptions and information on how to apply.

Social Media CoordinatorS

Responsibilities:

• Lead the Social Media Volunteers and present department reports to Communications Director at the Communications Team meeting

• Monitor the CSPC social media platforms (Facebook, FetLife, Instagram) on a daily basis in tandem with the Communications Director; reply to comments, questions, and messages

• Work with Social Media Volunteers to create unique content on a regular basis using the images and text copy provided or create your own images and adapt text from other CSPC sources to promote the mission of the CSPC, attract followers, and engage with our community

• Use the social media platforms to connect with organizations and individuals who align with our mission

• Regularly attend online Communications Team meetings (currently 6-7pm PDT every second Monday)

Qualifications:

• Active membership with the CSPC

• Completed volunteer orientation (can be done at the start of volunteering)

• Familiarity with navigating Facebook, FetLife, and Instagram

• Comfortable having your social media account associated with the CSPC

• Willingness to engage with others on social media

• Competence using an image editor of your choosing (Gimp, Photoshop, etc.)

Social Media Volunteers

Responsibilities:

• Scroll through the CSPC posts and news feeds on a regular basis

• Report any unusual, inflammatory, or discriminatory posts or comments to a Social Media Coordinator

• Report incorrect information including dates, times, or invalid links to a Social Media Coordinator

• Engage with our posts, as you are comfortable, by liking or commenting

• Create and submit sex-positive and kink-friendly content that complies with the specific platform’s Community Guidelines to a Social Media Coordinator

• Suggest new ways the CSPC can interact with the community through social media

• Optional - Regularly attend online Communications Team meetings (currently 6-7pm PDT every second Monday)

Qualifications:

• Be an active member of the CSPC

• Have completed the volunteer orientation

• Actively browse social media on a regular basis

• Comfortable having your social media account associated with the CSPC

Contact: Email communicationsdirector@thecspc.org to apply for a volunteer position.

New party announcement! Femmes On Top

Ready to celebrate feminine power in all its forms? We have a party for you! Femmes On Top, a new party for femme Dominants and all their fans, is coming soon on October 28. This BDSM-focused party is perfect for Mistresses, Dommes, fem Tops, and all their submissives, admirers, and reverent followers. It's spooky season, so come in your most bewitching outfit! Costumes are encouraged but not required, and fetishwear is always welcome.

Femmes On Top features a social-only hour from 8-9pm on the upstairs floor of the venue with an optional icebreaker game for attendees, while play is welcome downstairs all night from 8pm to midnight. A pickup play board and special flagging supplies will be available for folks who want to make new connections.

This queer-friendly party welcomes attendees of all genders and sexual orientations; trans and gender non-conforming attendees are especially encouraged to attend.

What's in the bag? featuring Marissa

Ever wonder what lurks in the bottom of all those massive toy bags you see people carting around at parties? What is part of someone's kinky kit? We want you to share some of your favorite toys with us! Maybe you'll inspire someone to get that flogger they've been eyeing, or those claws they were unsure about. What's in your toy bag?

Name:

Marissa (she/her)

How long have you been a CSPC member?

Just over one year! Hi all, I'm also the newsletter editor, so I figured I'd be the test dummy for this new article!

What's your favorite CSPC party?

PPMT for sure!

What's your favorite non-kink hobby?

Yoga? Soccer? Knitting? Reading. All those things and more.

"I LOVE this flogger. In my attempts to find non-leather floggers, I stumbled upon JuniperJennShop on Etsy, and she makes her floggers from vinyl and you can modify the colors and handles and fall shape/size and it's the best thing. I've always been an all-the-colors person, so the black floggers I see everywhere don't appeal much to me."

"I don't use these quickie cuffs nearly as often as I should, but they're just so brilliant. I have a small size, so they fit limited hands/wrists (perhaps I need to get the larger size too!). But just pop them on, instant cuffs!"

"Seriously…you can't really go wrong with a great wand. I feel like I don't even need to explain why this is a favorite. Like, duh. It was really hard to only pick three items, sheesh."

Want your favorite toys to be featured in a future newsletter? Send an email to Marissa at newsletter@thecspc.org and we'll get talking!

Broaden Your Mind - 10.5.23

Other Community Events to Enjoy!

The CSPC throws amazing parties and hosts many important discussions on various topics. But luckily, we live in a place where there are many more options to dive into sex- and body-positive culture. The list below is just a sampling of some great events coming up in the next month.

We include non-CSPC events in the first issue each month. If you have an event suggestion, please email Marissa at newsletter@thecspc.org and it might make it into our next issue!

October 6–7

A Metamodern Prometheus ($1–50 | in person)

A literary burlesque about the creation of Frankenstein

October 6–7

Northwest Film Forum: Sex Demon ($7–14 | in person)

Last screened theatrically in 1981 and never released on home video, Sex Demon is a crucial—yet long-lost—piece of queer horror history that’s been preserved in 2K from a recently discovered 16mm release print.

October 8

Consent Academy: Consent, Neurodiversity, and Kink ($20–40 | online)

This discussion-focused workshop is designed to help folks of all neurotypes better understand and communicate with their neurodivergent partners and play partners. The workshop will give an overview of what neurodiversity is and why the neurodiversity paradigm is important. It will also cover how the systemic oppression of neurodivergent people can create barriers to consent and will address strategies for promoting trauma-informed and accessible spaces.

October 8

Sex Positive World: Cultural Spa: Healing Inherited Wounds ($0–30 | online)

This workshop is centered around trauma-informed practices that equip us with the skills necessary to address embodiment of traumatic experiences.

October 12–29

Seattle Queer Film Festival ($50+ | in person and virtual)

The 28th Annual Seattle Queer Film Festival runs October 12-22 (in-person) and October 22-29 (virtual) in venues in Capitol Hill and Columbia City, with virtual reach including Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Our theme for this year’s festival is “Queer Joy Is Cinematic”, while we also explore what ‘queer joy’ means to all members of our community, recognizing we must fight and exist in equal measure.

October 13

Kremwerk: Hyper-ween ($11.33 | in person)

We're throwing a spine-chilling party 4 u spinning emerging hyperpop, synthpop, nightcore, and whatever-the-fuck-core is next. HYPER is and will always be a queer party guaranteed to transform any space into an immaterial world, so we’re going to slay the haunted house down BOOts this year one last time.

October 15

Sex-Positive World: Awesome Boundaries ($0–25 | online)

Whether you’ve been taught to go against your own boundaries in order to please others or to push hard for what you want, or a mix of both, this on-line workshop is a place to explore together how we each got to where we are today with boundaries and how to get to a better place in how we set and receive boundaries.

October 21

Pan Eros: Seduction: Monstrous ($55 | in person)

It’s time for Seattle’s sexiest Halloween party! Gallery Erato is preparing to host Seduction: Monstrous—a night of music, dancing, ambient performances, and the hottest costumes to make it out of the bedroom await you!

October 22

SEA-PAH: Suicide Awareness Walk (free | in person)

The Out of the Darkness Community Walk is a journey of remembrance, hope, and support. It unites our communities and provides an opportunity to acknowledge the ways in which suicide and mental health conditions have affected our lives and the lives of those we love and care about.

October 22

Sex Positive World: The Pleasure Talk ($0–25 | online)

Join us for an interactive workshop on creating safer sex and more pleasurable connections through awesome communication!

October 26

Papaya Project: Seattle Sexuality Professionals Meet-up (free | in person)

Are you a Sexuality Educator, Counselor, Therapist, or other sexuality-related professional living in Seattle? Do you want to connect with other people in your field, brainstorm future collaborations, or just have a space to collectively decompress? Join us for this monthly community meet-up!

October 26

Pan Eros: Creepy, Crawly Lap Dance ($42 | in person)

Creepy Crawly Lap Dance explores the spine chilling side of lap dancing just in time for Halloween! Ghouls, gals, and guys will learn a short choreography to take with them or use individual moves in whatever order makes you feel good. Lap dance pairs will have the option of only one person learning the moves, or to switch and allow both participants to learn.

November 1

Papaya Project: Sex Trivia ($10–20 | in person)

Join us for a fun, educational night of sex trivia and to fundraise for comprehensive sexuality education!

Disappearing Task Force for Improving Transparency Around the CSPC’s Incident Reporting Process

Call for volunteers! Are you interested in helping increase transparency around the CSPC’s incident reporting process? Do you have questions about the process or suggestions for how to make improvements? Here’s your opportunity to make meaningful change. Join HR Director and Conflict Resolution Coordinator, Skitty, as part of a disappearing task force for improving transparency around the CSPC’s incident reporting process.

The task force will begin in October and consist of six meetings. Participants will include members and volunteers. At the first meeting, we will determine the overall scope of the task force, along with the basic agenda for each of the remaining meetings, and schedule the remaining meetings according to majority availability. Any interested CSPC members are welcome to participate and will be asked to make a commitment to the entire process. If you need to miss a meeting, that's understandable, but the process works best if everyone is invested in doing the work. The recommendations we make will, for the most part, be implemented by us! Some of those recommendations will actually be implemented as we go along, while others will take more time and occur after the task force has wrapped up. The task force recommendations will be shared with the entire community at the December 13 Board Meeting, as well as in the newsletter, on Discord, and the CSPC’s other social media platforms. The Board is committed to supporting this task force and its recommendations, and several Board Members plan to participate throughout the process. Here is a breakdown of the preliminary details:

Who can participate?

• Any interested CSPC members and volunteers

• The task force will be led by Skitty (HR Director and Conflict Resolution Coordinator)

What is this?

• A six-week, online working group of volunteers asking questions, proposing solutions, writing policy, and implementing strategies

When will it take place?

• Once a week, for two hours, beginning in the first week of October and continuing through the second week of November. See the possible dates listed below.

Where will we meet?

• Online on Zoom

How do I sign up or find out more?

• Email Skitty at HRdirector@thecspc.org to indicate your interest. Please feel free to include any initial questions, concerns, and ideas you want to share. Take a look at the possible dates listed below and indicate your expected availability/unavailability in your email:

Meeting One:

• Sun Oct 1st, time TBD

• Mon Oct 2nd, 7-9pm

• Wed Oct 4th, 7-9pm

Meeting Two:

• Thur Oct 12th, 7-9pm

Meeting Three:

• Mon Oct 16th, 7-9pm

• Wed Oct 18th, 7-9pm

Meeting Four:

• Mon Oct 23rd, 7-9pm

• Sun Oct 29th, time TBD

Meeting Five:

• Wed Nov 1st, 7-9pm

Meeting Six:

• Thur Nov 9th, 7-9pm

Make-Up Meeting (if needed):

• Mon Nov 13th, 7-9pm

• Wed Nov 15th, 7-9pm

If you cannot participate at these dates and times, fear not! You can participate by providing feedback on the work as it progresses as well as help implement the strategies recommended by the task force. Simply email Skitty at HRdirector@thecspc.org and she will include you in the discussion.

This is the first of many changes to come. There will likely be another disappearing task force early in the new year to address other aspects of the CSPC’s consent policy and practices. It will take a community of volunteers to shape and implement the many improvements we all envision. Let’s get to work!

Community Matters

Operations Director Transition

7 is no longer able to serve the number of hours required to serve as the Operations Director in an unpaid capacity. Therefore, we must re-allocate those duties, including training new volunteers to perform these essential tasks. 

The Board has approved a paid six-month contract role for 7 to continue carrying out these essential CSPC operations duties, train volunteers in these duties, and contribute to the needs assessment process that may result in the creation of a long term contracted paid position to take on essential CSPC operating duties. During this time, 7 is taking a leave of absence from the Board to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Operations volunteers, we need you! This area manages all the CSPC’s IT infrastructure, facilities management, and oversight of our finances. If you have skills in any of these areas (or you’re excited to learn!), please email our HR Director at HRdirector@thecspc.org. More specific calls for volunteer assistance related to this transition will be advertised in the coming months.

Thank you for all the ways your contributions of money, time, and energy help make the hotness happen! Our community wouldn’t exist without YOU.

Masking policy

When the Board last discussed the mandatory masking policy in April, we announced that we would be revisiting this decision by September (see more details of that decision-making process here). As we are seeing a new wave of Covid infections and we’re entering flu season, we will not be changing the masking policy at this time. The Board will next revisit this topic in February. 

The Board is considering advice from The People’s CDC in our policy decisions: we are continuing to use mandatory KN95 masking, and we’re looking into improving air filtration as an added protection in our crowded indoor environment. The Board is also working to create more avenues for civil member discussion of this topic, possibly including a dedicated Discord channel set to “slow mode” to discuss establishing science-based criteria for eventually making masking optional at some or all events.

Online Discussion Groups

Don’t forget our online discussion groups!

The CSPC is so much more than just live parties. We have many online forums to connect, question, and discover. Not seeing what you want to discuss? Contact us and help us form a discussion group that is important to you!

All discussion groups run for one to two hours, and are FREE for members. Simply register within the membership portal.

Below the Slash: submissive Discussion Group

When: second Tuesday

Time: 7 p.m.

What: Come talk about your subby side!

BIPOC Discussion Group

When: first Thursday

Time: 7 p.m.

What: A space for BIPOC folks across the kink, gender, sexuality, and neurodiversity spectrums!

Community Munch

When: second Thursday

Time: 8 p.m. (Thursday)

What: Connect and explore with others in the community while maintaining a safe distance. Tell a story, show and tell, ask questions!

Finding Your Way

When: first or second Monday

Time: 7 p.m.

What: Come talk over your experiences and find your path in the CSPC community!

More Amore: A Consensual Nonmonogamy Discussion

When: second Sunday

Time: 3 p.m.

What: Explore the practicalities and possibilities of consensual nonmonogamy with members of the community. Ask questions, share experiences, find resources, and develop new friendships.

Neurodivergent Discussion Group

When: first Sunday and fourth Tuesday

Time: 5 p.m. (Sunday) and 7 p.m. (Tuesday)

What: Using communication styles unique to the neurodivergent population, we’ll explore the world of kink in a comfortable and inclusive environment.

The Queer Discussion Group

When: first Tuesday

Time: 8 p.m.

What: A discussion group for and by Queers!

S/switch Discussion Group

When: third Tuesday

Time: 7 p.m.

What: Come talk about your S/switch-y side with fellow switches!

Broaden Your Mind 9.7.23

Other Community Events to Enjoy!

The CSPC throws amazing parties and hosts many important discussions on various topics. But luckily, we live in a place where there are many more options to dive into sex- and body-positive culture. The list below is just a sampling of some great events coming up in the next month.

We include non-CSPC events in the first issue each month. If you have an event suggestion, please email Marissa at newsletter@thecspc.org and it might make it into our next issue!

SEA-PAH: Meet & Sniff Social

September 8 (free | in person)

Come be social during SEA-PAH's monthly Meet & Sniff! Meet up with some old friends, make some new ones, and join with other members of the Pack as we invade CC's Seattle.

Kremwerk: T4T All Trans and Non-Binary Drag Show

September 9 ($17 | in person)

T4T is the longest running by and for all transgender and non-binary produced and casted drag show in Seattle, a one of a kind celebration of trans drag artists. T4T is a place for trans folks to enjoy drag, enjoy gender euphoria, find community, and be with people who understand them.

Sex-Positive World: Neurobiology of Trauma

September 10 ($0–25 | online)

This workshop will shed light on how stress and trauma can alter brain functioning during sexual assaults and other traumatic experiences. We’ll look at the impairment of the prefrontal cortex, the activation of the defense circuitry and the display of reflexes and habits harbored by us for centuries.

Abbey Arts: How to have more intimate friendships

September 12 ($35 | in person)

Want to spark connection with others and have deep conversations proven to help you experience more fulfilling human connections? Join us!

Sex-Positive World: Worldwide Orientation

September 17 ($0–25 | online)

Come get oriented to more Sex Positive World in a fun, safe, and welcoming environment! You will be greeted by the leadership of Sex Positive World at the beginning of this meet up and also spend time with leadership supporting events in your own area of the world.

Consent Academy: Foundations of Consensual Kink

September 19 ($25–45 | online)

Foundations of Consensual Kink will cover the basics of consent for kink, exploring what you need to know about kinky spaces, giving guidance on how to negotiate, and introducing steps on how to be accountable if things go wrong.

Pan Eros: Walk All Over Me - Trampling 101

September 20 ($22 | in person)

Whether you love the idea of walking all over your partner or being the one stepped on, this is the class for you! We’ll cover some basic techniques to minimize the likelihood of harm, discuss appropriate footwear (or lack thereof), and offer suggestions on how to add other kinks into the mix to spice up your trampling session.

Papaya Project: Sex Trivia

September 27 ($10–20 | in person)

Trivia questions will cover a wide variety of sex and sexuality-related topics, so get ready to challenge yourself, learn something new, and have a good time. There will be PRIZES for the winning teams!

Beacon Cinema: The Defilers

September 29 ($13.12 | in person)

Everything they touch is stained! The Defilers are Carl and Jameison, a pair of sadistic beatniks who spice up their boring lives by imprisoning an innocent young woman (the "mouth-watering 20-year-old Scandinavian screen find" Mai Jansson) in the basement of an abandoned building. A quintessential "roughie," The Defilers is a stylishly squirm-inducing shocker from exploitation film legends David F. Friedman and R. Lee Frost.

Seattle Leather Service Corps: FFuck Yeah - Intermediate Guide to Fisting

September 30 - (donation | in person)

This in-person lecture-style class and 20-30 minute fisting demo briefly covers the basics of (anal) fisting and then goes into more detail about techniques, tips & tricks, pacing, coming down and ending a fisting scene. The class time has been extended to allow for a longer demo where the instructor and demo partner will dive “deeper.” The focus will be less on how to take a fist or put one in for the first time, and more on what to do once inside.

Seattle Queer Film Festival - Early Bird Passes on Sale

October 12–29 ($100+ | in person and virtual)

The 28th Annual Seattle Queer Film Festival runs October 12-22 (in-person) and October 22-29 (virtual) in venues in Capitol Hill and Columbia City, with virtual reach including Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Our theme for this year’s festival is “Queer Joy Is Cinematic”, while we also explore what ‘queer joy’ means to all members of our community, recognizing we must fight and exist in equal measure.