Turns out one of the weapons inspectors slated to go to Iraq has been a prominent advocate of SM (sado-masochism). The Washington Post broke the story last Thursday, and by Saturday, it was reporting that the head of the weapon's inspection team had rejected the inspector's offer to resign. The UN also supported the inspector's staying.
We chat with Susan Wright, who is the national spokesperson for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF), an SM advocacy group, about the media coverage and whether or not SM has been mainstreamed. The inspector in question, Jack McGeorge, once also chaired the NCSF, and has also headed some other SM groups.
She appears on KUCI's Subversity program, aired on KUCI, 88.9 fm in Orange County, at 4-5 p.m. today, December 3, 2002, or Web-cast simultaneously via kuci.org.
Wright founded the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom in 1997, and she currently serves as Spokesperson. Susan is the author of 20 books including nonfiction books on art and popular culture, and science fiction novels. Her next novel to be published is Slave Trade, through Simon & Schuster in April 2003.
See her e-mail, listed below, seeking support for a protest over the media coverage, for links on the press coverage.
Dan
Dan Tsang host, Subversity http://go.fast.to/sv ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 1 Dec 2002 18:19:10 -0600 From: susanw@ncsfreedom.org To: ncsf-announce@serve101.org Subject: NCSF Call to Action CALL TO ACTION National Coalition for Sexual Freedom Support UN Weapons Inspector Jack McGeorge News agencies are targeting one of the UN Weapons Inspectors to Iraq, Jack McGeorge, because he is a respected SM community leader and educator. McGeorge's professional credibility as a weapons inspector is being questioned in part because of his background as former Chairman of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, and as a former board member of both the Leather Leadership Conference and the educational organization, Black Rose. Jack McGeorge stated: "I have been very upfront with people in the past about what I do, and it has never prevented me from getting a job or doing service. I am who I am. I am not ashamed of who I am -- not one bit. But I cannot allow my actions, as they may be perceived by others, to damage an organization which has done nothing to deserve that damage." Please support the SM community and Jack McGeorge by dropping a note to the various news agencies covering this story. McGeorge's sexuality is a personal issue and should have no bearing on his qualifications for any job. Please state your support for the UN officials who rightly refuse to accept McGeorge's resignation on the basis of his sexuality. *Your note should only be 200 words long, and include your full name and phone number for verification purposes only.* NCSF's letter: On behalf of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, I would like to respond to James V. Grimaldi's article "Weapons Inspectors' Experience Questioned: Va. Man Is Cited As Example" published on November 28. It is irresponsible for a news organization like The Washington Post to attempt to discredit Jack McGeorge as a weapons inspector simply because of his sexuality. Many millions of Americans engage in SM according to a 1990 Kinsey Institute report. These people are doctors, lawyers, teachers, and news reporters, as well as professionals like Jack McGeorge. As a former Chairman of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, McGeorge ably assisted our national advocacy organization in fighting this sort of discrimination and persecution. McGeorge has also volunteered his valuable time to educate adults about safe, sane and consensual sexual expression. NCSF urges you to refrain from sensationalism usually found in tabloid journals: McGeorge's private life has nothing to do with his professional credibility. Sincerely, Susan Wright, Spokesperson National Coalition for Sexual Freedom 5505 Connecticut Avenue NW - #184 Washington DC 20015-2601 917-848-6544 NCSF strongly urges you to take a few minutes to respond to the following articles: 1. "Weapons Inspectors' Experience Questioned" (Washington Post, November 28) see full text on www.washingtonpost.com and do a search for the author: James V. Grimaldi Write to: Letters@WashPost.com, Abramowitz@WashPost.com, LynchC@WashPost.com, Ombudsman@washpost.com 2. "World body not turned off by arms inspector's S&M" (NY Daily News, November 29) see full text on: http://www.nydailynews.com/11-29-2002/news/wn_report/v-pfriendly/story/39433p-37240c.html Write to: voicers@edit.nydailynews.com 3. "State Department Denies Involvement in U.N. Inspector Choices" (Fox News, November 29) see full text on: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,71748,00.html Write to: politics@foxnews.com 4. Interview with Dan Savage (CNN, November 30) see full text at the bottom of the page: http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0211/30/asb.00.html To respond, go to: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/hottopics/4/frameset.exclude.html 5. "Sadomasochist" (New York Post, November 29) see full text on www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/51175.htm Write to: Letters@NYPost.com 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/mop/writelettertoeditor.htm Please alert us to positive, negative or neutral stories about SM, swinging and polyamory at media@ncsfreedom.org ### 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 5505 Connecticut Avenue NW - #184 Washington DC 20015-2601 410-539-4824 media@ncsfreedom.org www.ncsfreedom.org