FAQ

What is KBtL?

What does KBtL stand for and what do you do?

KBtL stands for Kink Between the Lines. We strive to provide a platform that intentionally holds space for the centering of marginalized perspectives in relation to the kink and BDSM community. KBtL is an always-virtual conference that happens every 9-15 months. You can find out more on our about page.

Who runs KBtL?

You can find our more about our staff on the staff page.

When is this event?

KBtL V will happen 27-29 September 2024.

KBtL happens every year on a different weekend and the next event dates are announced during the Closing Keynote for each event.

If KBtL is virtual, how do I attend?

This event takes place on three (3) platforms; Discord, Zoom, and Gather.

Our main event space is our Discord server. Discord is where you’ll be age verified and we’ll confirm that you’re registered to attend the event. You can talk to other attendees there, discuss specific classes, ask for help, and generally hang out.

We use Zoom to host our classes. When the time is right, a Zoom link will appear in a special Discord channel to take you to the class. Zoom allows us to record the sessions for our Extended Access attendees, and it means we can provide captions if attendees choose to use them.

Gather is our social space. It works a bit like a video game where you move around an avatar of yourself and can have voice and video conversations with other attendees, staff, and volunteers. You can use your avatar to move around the space and join or leave rooms and conversations. There are spaces to play games alone or with others, and at certain times we’ll have rooms open with hosts who will run socials on certain topics.

What is Extended Access?

In addition to a ticket for the live event, you have the option to purchase Extended Access, or EA, for an additional fee. This will allow you to view any recorded sessions for up to two weeks after the end of the live event. You’ll retain access to the Discord space and class channels to continue the discussions with other EA attendees. Since we have two (2) class tracks happening at the same time, this means you can also go back and watch the sessions you weren’t able to attend live because you may have been in the opposing class instead.

The Gather space is only available during the live event weekend and will not be open for EA access.

What are the rules?

The basic rules are as follows:

1. I am at least 18 years old and agree to be age verified by a staff member.
2. I will not share my screen with non-registered humans.
3. I will not record or screenshot any part of the event for any reason.
4. I will only be in one virtual place (Zoom room/Gather room) at a time.
5. I will not be nude on camera or participate in play while on camera.
6. I will respect other’s pronouns to the best of my ability and ask if I am unsure of how to refer to someone.
7. I will respect the consent of others and ask if I am unsure of their wishes.

You can find the full rules and policies for this event here

Registration

Where do I register?

Registration will open on 1 July 2024 at reduced Early Bird prices and will be available on our registration page. You can also sign up for our newsletter and be informed when registration opens.

Why are there different prices for registration?

Up until the event begins ticket prices are offered at 3 price points: General, Supporter, and Enthusiast. All registration packages offer the same level of access to three days of classes, workshops, social events, and more.

Enthusiast and Supporter level registration packages allow KBTL to offer more low-income and/or sponsored registration packages, and help us to better compensate our amazing educators for their time, talents, and labor.

How can I sponsor a low income or scholarship ticket?

When you register for the event, choose a Supporter or Enthusiast level registration price.

What if I can’t afford a ticket?

KBtL offers a limited number of low income tickets at a reduced price, and scholarship tickets are available based on donations from other generous attendees. You can apply for a reduced cost or scholarship registration package from the registration page when registration opens.

You can also earn reduced or free admission and even extended access by volunteering during the event for a certain number of hours. Learn more about volunteering here.

How do I sign up to volunteer?

Information on volunteering and the form to sign up can be found here.

What if I want to present a class or host a social?

Applications for proprosals for KBTL V are closed. You can sign up for our newsletter to be informed when we open proposals for KBtL VI.

If it is too late for this year, we still want to hear from you! Contact us via email at [email protected] with your idea and we’ll get back to you after the event.

Do you pay your presenters? How much?

All presenters will earn full access to the conference for free as part of their compensation package. Presenters also earn compensation based on the number and type of sessions they teach with us. The specific amount of compensation varies from year to year based on the number of presenting slots available and the amount of tickets sold.

Presenters are also able to offer donation links as a “tip jar” for attendees to further compensate them for their sessions. If you’d like to tip a presenter, head to our presenters page.

Attending the event

What does accessibility at KBtL look like?

KBtL welcomes staff, presenters, volunteers, and attendees of all abilities and we do our best to make sure that disabled attendees have the tools they need to thrive at our conference. However, accessibility is not a universal constant. It’s impossible for us to list every form of accessibility and every accommodation we use at KBtL. If you have specific access needs or questions, please contact us via email at [email protected] and we can provide you with more information.

Will this event be ASL interpreted?

Yes, KBtL will have ASL interpreters available, however due to current budget limitations we are not able to interpret every class. If you have accessibility needs that would benefit from having a class interpreted please reach out to us at [email protected] prior to the event. We schedule our ASL interpreters into different classes based on the needs expressed by our attendees. Please also note that EVERY class in a Zoom room will have live captions and a full transcript available.

What devices can I use at KBtL?

You can find the technologies we use elsewhere in our FAQ alongside advice on installing and testing each of these applications on your preferred device ahead of the conference.

Please note that Gather, our optional social platform, is best accessed by a laptop or desktop. The mobile experience of Gather is limited and we do not recommend it. Additionally, the Gather app will not work for accessing KBtL and attendees will need to access Gather through the mobile web browser version if using a mobile device. We strongly recommend attendees have access to a laptop or desktop computer to access Gather.

Broadly, these are the recommended systems for the platforms we use, based on their recommended and minimum requirements.

If you want to check any specific requirement information, you can find that information here:

• Zoom Desktop
• Zoom Mobile
• Zoom Web
• Discord
• Gather

I need help! How do I contact someone to help me?

You can find help on our Discord by opening a ticket using the #support channel. You’ll be able to select the type of help you need: Tech help, CEC (Consent and Emotional Care) help, or Other. You will be contacted by a staff member as soon as one is available!

What time zone is KBtL operating under?

Kink Between the lines is working on becoming a 24-hour event; until then, any listed times are currently indicated in GMT-4. Our projected time frame for scheduled sessions is between 7:00 (am) and 23:30 (11:30 pm) GMT-4.

How do I attend a class? I can’t find a link to the Zoom room!

Links to the class Zoom rooms will appear in the Discord before each class is set to start. Zoom links will NOT be provided via email, or any other method.

5-15 minutes before the class is set to start, a new Discord channel will appear in the server with a link to the Zoom room for the class. Staff will post in the new channel and @everyone so that you’ll get a notification. They will also post a link to the new channel in the General channel so that people who are chatting can see it.

At that time, you can go to the new channel and click the link to enter the Zoom room for the class.

What is Consent and Emotional Care and how do I access it?

KBtL is an event that by necessity sometimes deals with topics and themes that can be heavy or triggering to some people. We strive to ensure this is a space where you can safely engage with those topics and have a place to decompress and debrief afterwards. Part of that is our consent policy, viewable on our website here.

If you experience or witness an incident that you believe is a consent violation or consent accident, or otherwise find yourself in a situation where you think you would benefit from emotional care, you may reach out to a CEC team member to address the situation.

Conversations with CEC team members are confidential and only the CEC team lead and the team member you speak to are privy to the details of your conversation. The Producer is only made aware of how many total incidents occurred and the minimal relevant details are only shared with relevant staff members if follow up is required. Your personal information will never be shared without your explicit consent.

To contact our CEC team for support, head to the KBtL discord and open the #support channel. There you can open a ticket and a CEC team member will reach out directly.

How do I report a rule violation?

Connect with a staff member either via asking to DM them, or going to the #support channel and opening a ticket under either the CEC help option, or the Other option and a staff member will reach out to you to discuss the issue.