# Kink Between the Lines Annual Report 2025 Published February 2026 # Accessible Version This is the accessible plain-text version of the Annual Report from KBtL. The original PDF document does not contain image descriptions or alternative text. Note: The original PDF references each chart or graph with an appendix (E) table, those are listed in this document as plain text and thus Appendix E is not included in this document. In this document, page numbers are inline with other text and page breaks are not used. To differentiate page numbers them from standard text they are in Heading 4 format. #### Page 1 # Table of Contents Mission \& Values: page 2 Event Overview: page 3 Programming: page 5 Finances: page 9 Registration \& Financial Aid: page 11 Communications: page 14 Partners: page 16 Volunteers: page 17 Consent \& Emotional Care: page 18 Technology \& Extended Access: page 19 Operations: page 20 Staffing: page 21 Demographics: page 22 BRITE: page 36 Appendices: page 38 #### page 2 # Mission \& Values ## Mission Kink Between the Lines strives to provide a platform that intentionally holds space for the centering of marginalized perspectives in relation to the kink and BDSM community. It is our mission to shine a light on topics and perspectives that are usually ignored and to hold space for voices that are often decentered within the lifestyle. ## Values ### Growth We value growth as an organization, and we aim to foster introspection, reflection, insight, inspiration, and transformation in our educators, volunteers, staff, participants, and attendees. ### Transparency We strive to be a transparent organization, which means we provide clear, meaningful, and proactive communication about how we function whenever possible. ### Accountability We emphasize not just safety and consent but also responsibility and accountability when it comes to our conference, our educational programming, and each other. ### Equity More than just equality, KBtL strives for equity and works to offset power imbalances in an active, just, and compassionate way. ### Accessibility Access is a core tenant of our organization, and we weave accessibility into every aspect of our programming so that people of every ability can participate in meaningful ways. #### page 3 # Kink Between the Lines VI November 7-9, 2025 Kink Between the Lines (KBtL) is an always-virtual conference focused on diversity and marginalization within kink. We strive to provide a platform that intentionally holds space for the centering of marginalized perspectives. Within the kink community, there are some topic matters that are generally given the backseat, if they're included at all. We aim to shine a light on those topics and bring them to the forefront. Since 2020, KBtL has grown from a one-day, single-track event with a staff of one to a three-day, multi-track event with a staff of 12+ people. We're proud of how far we've come, and to celebrate that, we will be producing an annual report with a transparent look at each year's main themes. ## Default Time Zone The most impactful change this year was that KBtL changed its default time zone from Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) to Greenwich Mean Time (UTC-0). Kink Between the Lines is an international event. We draw attendees, staff, educators, and volunteers from most corners of the world, and as such, the only thing that felt fair to us was to pick a time zone that is centralized to all of our participants. While we recognize that London time being the world’s centralized time zone comes with a history of white colonialism, we also recognize the history of American-centrism in international BDSM Communities. Ultimately, every single time zone on earth carries some baggage, but an agreed-upon default time zone is also necessary operationally. So, we listed our times in London time/GMT/UTC-0 because it is a midway point between the Americas and Europe/Africa, and because it is easy for most people to calculate from since it is UTC-0. #### page 4 # Highs \& Lows ## Highs High-level overview of things that went especially well this year. Implemented Guide to Attendance, Participation, and Support (GAPS) as our help center Set CEC Director as a year-round position Formalized our Incident Response Team (IRT) Developed an Accountability Process Migrated our project tracking to Notion Switched schedule system for the website to include time zone support Launched BRITE committee Created an official Bluesky account Created a Director of Operations Established Town Hall event and channels Revamped Partnership Program Overall engagement was up Demographics updated ## Lows Created a development fund for Staff, but it was barely used Created CEC team member positions, which didn't quite work in practice Shifted to UTC-0 default time Access issues with the Gather software Need to improve ticket pricing clarity Simplify and clarify Financial Aid form Overall registration was down Extended Access (EA) software failed at the last minute Higher than usual staff turnover #### page 5 # Programming ## Overview Kink Between the Lines strives to offer diverse programming. We solicit applications and recruit educators from across the globe and from as many diverse perspectives as we can fit into one event. This year, we had two tracks and used Zoom and Gather for our sessions. Zoom was primarily used for classes and Gather for socials, lounges, and events. See Appendix A for a full list of all our sessions this year and Appendix B for all Educators. 59 Sessions 43 Educators 50% Educators of Color 10 Countries Represented ## Growth This year, Programming tried a number of new things, including: Demo Dungeon: a place to watch demonstrations of scenes Flirt Zones: a place to flirt with other attendees Shifted the Keynote to Saturday and created an event around it Added a ceremony to the Closing Ceremonies Restarted the Marginalization Debriefs ## Accessibility We found out at the last minute (during the conference) that Gather, our socials software, was not as accessible as last year. Gather migrated to version 2.0 in October, too late for us to join. In doing so, they pulled most of their screen reader support available in version 1.0, leaving many of our screen reader users stranded with inaccessible software. KBtL will be looking into fixing this for next year. ## Accountability While KBtL always has a few educators who drop out at the last minute, this year, we had far more than usual no-show or be late to their classes. Much of this was due to time zone issues (see page 3). We will attempt to provide further clarity to address the confusion with time zone adjustments; for instance, emphasizing the use of our new website feature on the schedule (mentioned on page 4). ## Types of Sessions Offered This Year Event: 18 Class: 8 Lecture: 7 Lounge: 7 Discussion: 6 Workshop: 6 Social: 5 Demo: 2 Panel: 1 #### page 6 ## Programming Data ### Amount of Feedback Forms Submitted This Year Detailed Feedback Forms: 38 / 17% Average Number of Feedback Forms Per Session: 7 Total Forms: 224 Lightning Feedback Forms: 186 / 83% ## Number of Average Ratings on Sessions from Feedback Forms Average Rating for Sessions Across 3 Categories: 4.7 out of 5 3 categories include: Overall Rating Accessibility Rating Educator Engagement Rating ### Form options include: 1 - Very Bad 2 - Bad 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Very Good #### page 7 ## Attendance Per Session This year 5 or fewer people attended 4 sessions: 12.9% 6-10 people attended 12 sessions: 38.7% 11-15 people attended 10 sessions: 32.3% 16-20 people attended 2 sessions: 6.5% 20-25 people attended 2 sessions: 6.5% 26 or more people attended 1 session: 3.2% #### page 8 # Most Popular Sessions ## Top 10 Most Attended Sessions: 1. Opening Ceremonies | Echolynx (27 people) 2. Keynote Event | Akasha, Laura Antoniou, Cecilia Tan, Echolynx, Angela Rae, \& others (25 people) 3. Closing Ceremonies | Echolynx (22 people) 4. Standing in Boots: Being Present and Accountable during Conflict | Ezulie Supreme and naro (19 people) 5. The Neuroscience of Pain and Pleasure: An Exploration into BDSM | Nishita Raghu Rao (18 people) 6. Closing the Inter-Age Dialogue | Kaybee, Master Taino, Raven Kaldera, and Jardinero (15 people) 7. Power Dynamic as Exoskeleton: Coping with Disability in a M/s Relationship | Raven Kaldera and Joshua Tenpenny (15 people) 8. "I can't help it that I'm popular" | Princess (15 people) 9. I Am Daddy: An Exploration of Self-Collaring | Puffy the Pixie (13 people) 10. Power, Protocol, and Playtime: A Deep Dive into Intensive Age Play | boi sassafrass and Jayeson (13 people) ## Top 10 Most Viewed Sessions on Extended Access: 1. The Neuroscience of Pain and Pleasure: An Exploration into BDSM | Nishita Raghu Rao (50 views) 2. Decolonising Kink | Caritia (48 views) 3. Interrogation Play 101: Reclaiming the Scene, Rewriting the Script | Akasha (45 views) 4. A(ce)spects of Making Love | Kitty Hermit (42 views) 5. They Not Like Us! No My Skin is Not Like Yours! Let's Talk About How to Play! | Queen Ana Blue (41 views) 6. Achy Breaky Bod: Kink, Sex, and Chronic Pain | Knotty Gal (37 views) 7. Closing the Inter-Age Dialogue | Kaybee, Master Taíno, Raven Kaldera, and Jardinero (36 views) 8. I Am Daddy: An Exploration of Self-Collaring | Puffy the Pixie (36 views) 9. Cultivating Accountability | Connor Synuates (31 views) 10. Beyond Accessibility to Real Inclusion | Master BlindDancer (29 views) #### page 9 ## Finances ## Overview Finances were tight in 2025, as they usually are, due to a decrease in ticket sales and partnerships. Kink Between the Lines just barely broke even. We covered all our operating costs and, of course, paid our educators who requested payment. We, however, were not able to save much towards 2026, which will make next year a financial challenge. KBtL is onboarding an additional staff member to help with grants and fundraising. $73.54 Average Payment per Educator $2,832.48 Total Revenue ## Growth New this year, Kink Between the Lines added a modest professional development fund that staff could request to cover classes, events, or materials that they felt would help them be better staffers. Unfortunately, only 1 person took advantage of the program. We will reevaluate if it can continue to be funded in the future, given low interest. This year, we also set and achieved a goal of giving over half our revenue to our educators. ## Accessibility Financial accessibility remains a challenge for Kink Between the Lines. Many people assume we profit from the conference, leading them to frown upon what they consider “expensive” ticket prices. In reality, our most expensive ticket type (All Inclusive) was just $2 per session or $7.05 per day (including 2 weeks of Extended Access). We continue to work to make KBtL financially accessible while still ensuring we can pay our educators a decent wage. ## Accountability Kink Between the Lines saw a decent decrease in ticket sales, a decrease in partnerships, and an increase in financial aid requests this year, making it highly challenging to keep our doors open, especially with rising inflation. While we were able to fund a great deal of financial aid, we weren't able to do as many free or low-cost Extended Access tickets this year as in previous years, something many of our attendees were upset about. #### page 10 ## Financial Data ### Total Revenue Spending Breakdown Total Revenue: $2,832.48 Payment to Educators: $1,568.06 / 55.4% Direct Costs: $1,117.98 / 39.5% Other Costs: $146.44 / 5.2% ### Direct Costs Breakdown Direct Costs: $1,117.98 Financial Aid: $399.95 / 35.77% Technology: $312.14 / 27.92% Engagement: $260.59 / 23.31% Registration: $60.05 / 5.37% Staff \& Volunteer Perks: $50.13 / 4.48% Operations: $35.12 / 3.14% #### page 11 # Registration \& Financial Aid ## Overview A total of fewer than 100 participants is, unfortunately, a bit of a dip for us. In 2024, for KBtL V, we had about 200 people participate, and the year before that (2023, KBtL IV), we had 115. The lack of registrations this year was the primary driving factor in many of our financial challenges. Despite this, we continued to experiment with pricing model changes this year, as well as different Financial Aid application processes. 94 People Participating 12 People Used Financial Aid ~ 50 People with EA ## Growth KBTL upgraded our registration process. We ... * experimented with new pricing models * transitioned away from using AirTable and manual data transfer by using Notion and a registration bot/script * tried a new financial aid application and moved away from Google Forms * limited the number of people on staff who could access registration data and do age verifications * offered pay-in-installments ## Accessibility We received feedback that our registration and financial aid processes were not accessible to some folks, though we did not receive much specific feedback about this. KBTL will look into addressing these issues for the next conference. We continue to also work towards balancing financial accessibility with the ability to continue to exist as a conference. This year we rolled out a specific button for requesting age verification accommodations. We have always offered accommodations, but features like the request button made it clearer that assistance is available. ## Accountability People alerted us of issues in which people paying in installments may have paid more than they should due to the way our ticketing platform handles taxes and fees. We'll be looking into solutions for this! We also received a lot of feedback that our registration process was too complicated, and that our new financial aid process was intrusive, misleading, frustrating, and confusing. We take these things seriously and will be working on them in the coming year. #### page 12 ## Registration Data ### Types of Participants Attendees: 36 Educators: 35 Staff: 12 Volunteers: 11 ### Ticket Types and Timing Note: 1 person purchased EA-only admission and is not included in this chart. 1 person received a comp ticket designated for sign language interpreters and is not included in this chart **Early Bird:** General Admission: 10 All-Inclusive: 0 **Standard:** General Admission: 4 All-Inclusive: 3 **Last Chance:** General Admission: 3 All-Inclusive: 3 #### page 13 ## Financial Aid Data ### Financial Aid Types Full Scholarships: 2 Partial Scholarships: 4 Budget Tickets: 4 Pay-in-Installment Tickets: 2 #### page 14 # Communications ## Overview 2025 was the second year having a Communications department. As a department, it's still a work in progress. We've learned that consistent posting throughout the year is key to maintaining engagement with our KBTL community. Our most well-received posts were those that reinforced the conference mission, reminding that all identities can find a place in kink. 1530 Instagram Followers 58 Bluesky Followers 427 FetLife Followers ## Growth Communications launched a new platform this year: Bluesky. It grew from 0 to 58 followers in one year. Throughout the course of one year, we posted 160 hand-created posts on Instagram. We didn't use AI this year for our communication content. We also experimented a lot this year with different content calendar strategies. ## Accessibility We continued to maintain a high standard of including ALT TEXT or image descriptions on all our social media, including Discord. In Bluesky, Instagram, and Discord, we utilized built-in features. Unfortunately, FetLife still does not provide built-in infrastructure for ALT TEXT, something we find frustrating. ## Accountability Sometimes social media engagement includes public debates. Kink Between the Lines strives to walk a fine line, balancing free expression and of drawing boundaries around how users engage with our content. While we don't often have controversy, we do occasionally see it pop up. We continue to try and navigate this as best as possible and leave space for all different emotions and perspectives to happen. ## Instagram Views This Year By Non-Followers: 45,536 42% By Followers: 62,883 58% #### page 15 ## Communications Data ### Instagram Post Interactions This Year By Followers: 1,645 86.7% By Non-Followers: 252 13.3% ### Instagram Profile Interactions This Year Direct Profile Visits: 1,668 85.3% Visits from Outside Links: 288 14.7% #### page 16 # Partners ## Overview Kink Between the Lines calls our sponsorship program “Partnership” because we try to fully partner with the people who sponsor us. Becoming a Partner is more than just donating money, goods, or services to KBtL. Sponsoring organizations are our partners and can partake in many benefits including Mutual Aid Advertising. Through the Mutual Aid Advertising program, partners can cross-promote with us. See Appendix C for a full list of Partners. 11 Total Partners 3 Anonymous Partners $430 Cash Donations from Partners ## Growth This year we refreshed and revitalized the entire Partnership program, including the tiers and all rewards. We now have 5 Partnership levels ranging from $5 to more than $500. We accept donations of goods or services in addition to money. 7 of our 11 partners were new this year and we were thrilled to see so much interest in our conference. We hope to partner with them again next year! ## Accessibility Partnership should not just be limited to people who have money, so at Kink Between the Lines, we feel it's important to make sponsorship accessible where we can. An example of this is that several of our partners this year donated advertising space to us. This was effectively free or low-cost for them, but it can make a world of difference for us. We also lowered our minimum donation amount to just $5, allowing ANYONE to become a Partner of KBtL. ## Accountability Ultimately, we had fewer partners this year and raised less money from our partnerships. Partnerships are typically our primary source of funding for the conference's operations. When we receive donations from Partners, we can allocate more of our revenue to the community through financial aid and educator payments. ## Partner Levels This Year Bootblack: 6 Puppy: 3 Switch: 2 Primal: 0 Rigger: 0 #### page 17 # Volunteers ## Overview Our volunteer department helps make the conference run by recruiting kinky folks to help out during the conference in exchange for free admission and other perks. Volunteering is vital to KBTL’s success. If we didn’t have volunteers, we couldn’t host the assortment of sessions we do (as many as 59 in previous years!). We simply wouldn’t have enough hands. 11 Volunteers 80 Collective Hours of Work ## Growth We created a brand new volunteer role this year: Standby Volunteer. This role helps fill in when others no-show or can't finish their shift. They also help us keep the server active and lively. Volunteers this year were able to choose their own schedule. While they couldn't pick which roles they did, they could pick which hours they would work, a big improvement over past years. ## Accessibility We made accessibility requirements much more prominent for volunteer roles this year, ensuring that we accurately described what abilities volunteers would need to fulfill each role. We continue also to make sure that our roles are as accessible as possible and available for a wide variety of abilities and disabilities. ## Accountability In the spirit of transparency, it's important that we share that our volunteer department has gone through a significant upheaval in the last 2 years. Last year, our Director of Volunteers had to step back. This year we had not 1 but 2 Directors of Volunteers come and go throughout the year. This created lower turnout and engagement at times and we will work to remedy this in the future. #### page 18 # Consent and Emotional Care ## Overview The Consent and Emotional Care (CEC) team is responsible for supporting our participants at the conference by being available for 1:1 conversations and helping people process through difficult situations. They are a vital resource for KBtL as a whole in matters related to consent, accountability, incident response, and safety. 4 CEC Members 0 CEC Tickets Opened ## Growth The entire Consent and Emotional Care department was new this year! While we've always at a CEC Team, they typically have not been an entire department. This year, we had two co-directors of CEC and 2 CEC team members. The CEC department worked very hard this year to curate an extensive list of resources and guidelines around mental health and consent, as well as streamlined and formalized ticket and reporting processes. ## Accessibility The CEC team partnered with Operations and KBtL staff to significantly upgrade our accessibility information for neurodivergent people. This change addressed people with anxiety, mental illness, ADHD, Autism, Plurality, and other mental challenges. We curated many pages in our Guide to Attendance, Participation, and Support (GAPS) on self-care and how to have a good con, and the CEC team compiled an extensive list of mental health resources from around the world. ## Accountability CEC, in collaboration with the Producer and other departments, developed a formal Accountability policy and process for Kink Between the Lines. KBtL can truly say that it practices Restorative Justice with a set of procedures when handling reports of serious incidents, such as consent violations, discrimination, harassment, or external restraining orders. You can view the full policy here. #### page 19 # Technology \& Extended Access ## Overview As a virtual conference, technology is our medium and our most important component. It’s how we run our conference, present ourselves to the world, and how staff functions as an international team. The Director of Technology is primarily responsible for our website, Discord server, Zoom, and Extended Access. Overseeing all of these parts is a massive undertaking. 1854 Minutes of EA Content 10GB of EA Video Footage 30 EA Videos 738 Total Views of Videos ## Growth This year, we rebuilt our website from the ground up. While users cannot see the back-end work, the website’s rebuild added useful features that improve ease of access and convenience. We incorporated a new scheduling tool that allows users to sort the schedule, view it in their time zone, and create their own itinerary. In addition, we integrated Notion, Ticket Tailor, and Discord with a custom bot to streamline registration. ## Accessibility We received feedback after the conference that our shiny new schedule system is difficult to navigate with screen readers. We’ll be looking into that during our planning for the next conference. Our EA system went down temporarily before we released it. We ensured (as we do every year) that captioning was standard for all our EA videos and available before we released anything to EA ticket holders. ## Accountability Our most significant downfall this year was with EA. YouTube quietly removed features we were using to make Extended Access possible. We didn’t realize this until the Monday after the conference. We scrambled to make a backup solution of Google Drive work for this year. We will be looking into non-Google alternatives for next year and beyond. ## Times Extended Access Videos Were Viewed This Year 3 Videos / 10%: 10 or Fewer Views 12 Videos / 40%: 11-20 Views 6 Videos / 20%: 21-30 Views 4 Videos / 13.3%: 31-40 Views 5 Videos / 16.7%: 41-50 Views #### page 20 # Operations ## Overview Orchestrating a conference isn't for the faint of heart. There's several thousand tiny details to work out in order to make a great event happen. That's where Operations comes in. This department is the glue of the conference, helping all departments stay on track and on schedule and making sure information doesn't get lost. 50 GAPS Pages Created 920 Notion Tasks Created 15 Notion Databases ## Growth Operations was an entirely new department this year, but it also accomplished so much. Including: * Migrating project management to Notion * Creating the Guide to Attendance, Participation, and Support (GAPS) \[link: https://kinkbetweenthelines.notion.site/gaps] * Formalizing the Incident Response Team (IRT) and Manager on Duty (MOD) roles * Creating a change management system * Password management * Separating lightning and detailed feedback ## Accessibility Operations worked hard to make the Notion, GAPS, and other areas of the conference accessible. In addition, Operations also made many improvements to the feedback system this year for access reasons, including the ability to leave voice notes, making feedback more spread out and shorter, and making sure all feedback forms were in an accessible software, Fillout. Notably, GAPS provided a TON of accessibility info to our participants. ## Accountability There are certainly many things to improve on for next year. The primary focus of improvement will be on how staff navigate and use Notion for project management. Operations also hopes to move Kink Between the Lines off Google products (Gmail, Drive, Google Calendar, Google Meet) entirely in 2026 for privacy reasons. While GAPS received positive feedback, there's still many more pages to create there next year. #### page 21 # Staffing ## Overview As a whole, Kink Between the Lines is powered by the staff members, all of whom are marginalized and volunteer their time and skills. Staff take ownership of their department and are responsible for the full conceptualization, planning, and execution of work within its purview. They also have a say in important decisions across the organizations and work together as a team to get the event off the ground. See Appendix D for a full list of Staff. 17 Total Staffers 10 Year-Round Staffers 9 Departments ## Growth For many of our staff, this was their first year in their particular role and even in Kink Between the Lines as a whole. It was a year of a ton of rapid growth, including new project management systems, new ways of working, new team members, new departments, new initiatives, and all sorts of other things. The staff showed tremendous growth and resilience throughout the year. ## Accessibility In 2025, Kink Between the Lines worked to make access requirements more clear and fair for all our staff positions, something we will continue to do in 2026. We are committed to discussing access needs, no matter how big or small, with a staff member to do our best to make accommodations wherever we can. ## Accountability Our turnover was very high this year. We had 6 staff members step back at different points of the year; two departments remained empty at the time of the event; two staff assistants were onboarded but either ghosted or left,; and a handful of other engagement issues. In 2026, we will address turnover to ensure we support our staff appropriately. #### page 22 # Demographics ## Overview Demographics are an important aspect of Kink Between the Lines. Because our primary focus is on diversity and marginalization, we can't do the work we do without measuring who is at our table. It is important to us as an organization that we pay attention to the races, ages, abilities, sexualities, genders, religions, locations, or other identities and life circumstances that make our staff, volunteers, educators, and attendees who they are. We collect mandatory demographics on staff, educators, and volunteers and we only select educators and staff members who are marginalized in some way. Volunteers do not have this requirement. The demographics of staff and educators are displayed next to their bios on our website. We give them the option of also not displaying certain identities for privacy reasons. A cumulative list of all represented demographics from staff, educators, and volunteers is also listed anonymously on the identities page of our website to allow for privacy and also reflect the identities of our volunteers. We strongly request that attendees complete their own demographics, but it is optional. We designed our demographics form specifically for our conference; you won't see one like it anywhere else. ## Permissions We give attendees who fill out demographics the choice to allow us to share their data a) externally in educational publications like this and b) externally in requests for donations or fundraising. Staff, educators, and volunteers are given only the option of ‘B’ since we display their demographics already on the website. Option ‘A’ is a transparency must for KBtL staff. In the demographics you will read below, please note that the statistics represent only the people who filled out the form and also only the people who agreed to option a. There are many people who attend our conference who did not fill out a form and many others who filled it out, but opted against letting us share their information publicly, even in aggregate, anonymous data. #### page 23 # Types of Participants and How Many Completed Demographics Forms ## Attended: Attendee: 36 Educator: 35 Staff: 12 Volunteer: 10 ## Filled in Demographics Forms: Attendee: 10 Educator: 35 Staff: 12 Volunteer: 10 ## Ages Represented Ages 25-35: 23 / 38% Ages 36-45: 25 / 41% Ages 46-55: 7 / 11% Ages 56-65: 5 / 8% Ages 66-75: 1 / 2% #### page 24 ## Racial Identities White: 29 / 47% Black: 12 / 20% Bi- or Multi-Racial: 8 / 13% Native or Indigenous: 5 / 8% Hispanic or Latinx: 4 / 6% Asian: 1 / 2% Arab or Middle Eastern: 1 / 2% Other PoC: 1 / 2% ## Ethnic Identities These are words people used for themselves to describe their specific ethnic or racial identity. Note: Original image is a word-cloud wherein larger words representing more people using that word and smaller words representing less people using that word. Identities listed below are ordered by more frequently listed to less frequently listed. * black * african-american * white * puerto-rican * german * irish * latina * algonquin * south-asian * celtic * niiji * creek-indian * welsh * scottish * hispanic * brazilian * jewish * cherokee * arapaho * portuguese * basque * american-indian * spaniard * black-experience * taino-indigenous * sephardi * jamaican * indigenous * panamanian * aztec * lebanese * native-Hawaiian * irish-scottish * ecuadorian * chinese * african * dutch * latine #### page 25 ## Locations of Primary Residence Primary Residence is where someone lives all or most of the time United States of America: 40 / 71% Canada: 4 / 7% The Netherlands: 3 / 5% Poland: 2 / 4% Ireland: 2 / 3% United Kingdom: 1 / 2% India: 1 / 2% Germany: 1 / 2% Costa Rica: 1 / 2% Belgium: 1 / 2% ## Criminalization of Identities The country that I reside in and/or my country of nationality has criminalized one or more of my identities. Identities not Criminalized: 28 / 46% Identities Criminalized: 22 / 36% Not Specified: 11 / 18% #### page 26 ## Nationalities Nationality is where someone holds citizenship, regardless of where they live. American: 39 / 72% Other: 15 / 28% ### Other Nationalities Breakdown: Belgian: 1 / 2% Brazilian: 1 / 2% British: 2 / 4% Canadian: 3 / 5% Dutch: 1 / 2% German: 3 / 5% Indian: 1 / 2% Jamaican: 1 / 2% Polish: 1 / 2% Puerto Rican: 1 / 2% ### Other Information: Dual Citizenship: 1 Not Specified: 7 ## Land Disruptions The land I live on and/or the land of my nationality has been stolen, colonized, under siege, or an active warzone. Note: in each section, the answer is given first, then the regions/countries based on what was listed in the Nationality and Primary Residence sections above. ### Yes, in my lifetime Asia: 0 Canada: 2 Central America \& Caribbean: 1 Eastern Europe: 0 Nationality or Primary Residence not specified: 0 United States of America: 8 Western Europe: 2 ### Yes, but not in my lifetime Asia: 1 Canada: 2 Central America \& Caribbean: 0 Eastern Europe: 1 Nationality or Primary Residence not specified: 1 United States of America: 25 Western Europe: 2 ### No, never Asia: 0 Canada: 2 Central America \& Caribbean: 0 Eastern Europe: 1 Nationality or Primary Residence not specified: 0 United States of America: 3 Western Europe: 3 ### Not Specified Asia: 0 Canada: 0 Central American \& Caribbean: 0 Eastern Europe: 0 Nationality or Primary Residence not specified: 4 United States of America: 3 Western Europe: 2 #### page 27 ## Immigration Background No Immediate Immigration Background: 33 Immigrated as a Child: 12 First Generation (Child of Immigrants): 11 Immigrated as an Adult: 8 Not Specified: 8 Other Immigration Background: 2 ## Linguistic Identities English is Primary Language: 31 English is only language: 18 Multi-Lingual: 17 English Not First Language: 13 English Not Primary Language: 5 Not Specified: 4 Uses Non-Spoken Language: 4 Learned English as an Adult: 2 Uses Endangered Language: 2 Other: 2 #### page 28 ## Family of Origin Raised by... Standard/Nuclear Family: 31 Single Parent: 20 Divorced Parents: 11 Non-Parent Family Member: 11 More than 2 Parents: 5 Runaway or Homeless Youth: 4 Non-Blood Family Member: 4 Former Adopted Child: 3 Former Foster Child: 2 Not Specified: 2 In an Institution: 1 Other: 1 ## Caregiving Identities Never Been a Caregiver: 21 Non-Primary Caregiver: 11 Not Specified: 8 Primary Caregiver to Children: 4 Primary Caregiver to Adult Children: 3 Primary Caregiver to Family Member: 3 Former Caregiver: 3 Caregiver Not by Choice: 2 Adoptive Parent, Foster Parent: 1 #### page 29 ## Relationship Status \& Identities Non-Monogamous: 30 Monogamous: 18 Married by Choice: 17 Relationship Anarchist: 12 Lifetime Partnership: 8 Single by Choice: 7 Separated: 5 Divorced: 5 Single Not by Choice: 4 Other: 3 Not Specified: 2 Engaged: 2 Widowed: 2 Married Not by Choice: 2 ## Sexual \& Romantic Orientations / Identities Queer: 45 Pansexual, Polysexual, Panromantic, Polyromantic: 25 Bisexual, Ambiamorous:19 Demisexual, Demiromantic: 16 Asexual, Aromantic: 13 Lesbian: 8 Gay: 6 Exploring, Curious, Questioning: 6 Indigiqueer:3 Heterosexual, Straight: 2 Other: 2 #### page 30 ## Gender \& Sex Identities Genderqueer, Genderfluid, Gender Expansive: 27 Non-Binary: 21 Transgender: 20 Cis-Woman: 16 Transmasculine: 7 Agender: 5 Other: 4 Intersex: 4 Transfeminine: 3 Cis-Man: 3 Bigender, Ambigender: 2 Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer:2 Not Specified: 1 ## Miscellaneous Identities \& Participant-Specified Identities "Of Size" and "In Recovery" are options we have in our misc. section, but the others listed are things that people put in the free-response section of other, indicating they feel these are important ways they identify that we missed in our form. People of Size: 23 People in Recovery (Addiction Challenge): 7 Plural People: 2 People with Tourette Syndrome: 1 People with Spinal Cord Injury: 1 People Who Identified as Intellectuals: 1 People who Identified as Educators: 1 #### page 31 ## Ability / Disability Identification At Least 1 Disability Aspect Selected: 57 / 93% No Disability Aspects Selected: 4 / 7% ## Specific Disability Aspects Selected \& Their Impact 'Minimal' impact is defined as something that has little to no impact on day to day life or functioning. 'Serious' impact indicates a severe challenge or disability / condition in that aspect area. ### Minimal Impact Mental Illness: 15 Chronic Illness: 13 Social Disability: 19 Sensory Disability: 18 Cognitive or Learning Disability: 13 Behavioral Disability: 8 Mobility or Balance Disability: 8 Communication Disability: 11 Physical Disability: 5 Blind / Low Vision: 10 Intellectual or Developmental Disability: 9 D/deaf or Hard of Hearing 7 Other: 4 ### Serious Impact Mental Illness: 34 Chronic Illness: 26 Social Disability: 11 Sensory Disability: 11 Cognitive or Learning Disability: 11 Behavioral Disability: 15 Mobility or Balance Disability: 14 Communication Disability: 8 Physical Disability: 14 Blind / Low Vision: 7 Intellectual or Developmental Disability: 4 D/deaf or Hard of Hearing 2 Other: 1 #### page 32 ## Disability Impact What percentage of people had all or mostly a certain impact level in the disability aspects they selected? Mostly 'Serious' Impact: 12 / 29% All 'Minimal' Impact: 11 / 27% All 'Serious' Impact: 10 / 24% Mostly 'Minimal' Impact: 4 / 10% No Response: 4 / 10% ## Ability / Disability Trends \& Notable Points KBtL considers ability/disability a spectrum, not merely a static identity or diagnosis. We think about disability as a diverse spectrum of challenges and experiences that can be either self-diagnosed or professionally diagnosed. Our demographic form asks people to select from various aspects of ability/disability (see page 30) and rate whether those aspects have a serious or minimal impact on their life. We do this because we're trying to capture the ways that ability and disability show up in daily life, not how they might be categorized by the medical world. We can gain more meaningful insights from looking at how people experience the effects of their disability, as you can see from the charts on this and the previous page. Any Aspect Selection: 57 Aspects Other than Chronic Illness Selected: 55 Aspects Other than Mental Illness Selected: 52 Selected at least 1 Neurological Aspect: 52 Selected at least 1 Physical Aspect: 49 Has a Mental Illness: 49 Selected at Least 1 Serious Aspect: 46 Is Neurodiverse: 45 Has a Chronic Illness: 39 No Response: 4 #### page 33 ## Financial Disadvantages Income Does Not Consistently Meet Needs: 24 Income is Low but Enough: 24 Receives Social Benefits: 18 Income at or Below Poverty Line: 17 Income at or Below Minimum Wage: 14 None Specified: 13 Unemployed: 7 Other: 6 ## Educational Disadvantages Compulsory Education is required education in your country, usually from approximately ages 5-18. You may also know it as the terms: basic education, elementary \& high school education, or K-12. None Specified: 48 Did Not Complete University: 11 Completed Compulsory Education via Testing (GED): 3 Other: 2 Did Not Complete Compulsory Education: 1 #### page 34 ## Faith Identities \& Aspects We also view faith as a spectrum and asked people to select not just the faiths they identify with but also aspects such as spiritual (internal concepts), religious (external structure), traditional (conservative), liberal (modern), or tangential (family, cultural, or formerly only). ### Tangential Pagan / Wiccan: 0 Agnostic: 2 Other Faith: 1 Other Christian Faith: 10 Jewish: 7 Atheistic: 1 Catholic: 9 Protestant: 8 Buddhist: 1 Indigenous / Native: 2 Shinto: 0 Voodoo: 0 Hindu: 1 Islamic: 1 ### Traditional Pagan / Wiccan: 2 Agnostic: 0 Other Faith: 3 Other Christian Faith: 2 Jewish: 0 Atheistic: 1 Catholic: 0 Protestant: 0 Buddhist: 1 Indigenous / Native: 2 Shinto: 0 Voodoo: 0 Hindu: 0 Islamic: 0 ### Liberal Pagan / Wiccan: 9 Agnostic: 6 Other Faith: 4 Other Christian Faith: 1 Jewish: 3 Atheistic: 4 Catholic: 1 Protestant: 0 Buddhist: 1 Indigenous / Native: 2 Shinto: 1 Voodoo: 0 Hindu: 0 Islamic: 0 ### Spiritual Pagan / Wiccan: 17 Agnostic: 11 Other Faith: 8 Other Christian Faith: 3 Jewish: 2 Atheistic: 5 Catholic: 0 Protestant: 3 Buddhist: 4 Indigenous / Native: 2 Shinto: 2 Voodoo: 3 Hindu: 1 Islamic: 0 ### Religious Pagan / Wiccan: 8 Agnostic: 6 Other Faith: 5 Other Christian Faith: 4 Jewish: 3 Atheistic: 2 Catholic: 1 Protestant: 1 Buddhist: 3 Indigenous / Native: 2 Shinto: 1 Voodoo: 0 Hindu: 0 Islamic: 0 ## Faith Trends \& Notable Points At Least 1 Faith Selected: 58 At Least 1 Spiritual Faith: 40 Multi-Faith: 31 At Least 1 Tangential Faith:30 At Least 1 Religious Faith: 27 At Least 1 Liberal Faith: 21 At Least 1 Traditional Faith: 8 No Active Faiths: 4 None Specified: 3 #### page 35 ## Kink Identities \& Interests that Make People Marginalized Age Play or Age Gaps: 13 Other: 7 CNC Play: 5 M/s Play: 4 Pet Play: 3 24/7 and/or TPE Play: 3 Breath Play: 3 Race Play: 2 Switch: 2 Pro-Player: 2 Dark/Edge Play: 2 Hygrophilia: 2 Primal Play: 1 Blood/Sharps Play: 1 Mystic/Creature Fetish: 1 Somnophilia: 1 ## Sex Work Identities None Specified: 34 Sex Worker by Choice: 22 Partner of a Sex Worker: 11 Family Member of a Sex Worker: 3 Sex Worker Not by Choice: 2 #### page 36 ## Survivorship Sexual Assault: 32 Abuse/Assault: 31 Another Traumatic Event: 27 Epidemic/Pandemic: 15 Political/Social Unrest: 14 None Specified: 12 Homelessness: 12 Incarceration: 3 Other: 1 Natural Disaster: 1 War: 1 #### page 37 # BRITE ## BDSM Reimagining Inclusion Through Equity Kink Between the Lines is proud to announce that this year we took our first steps on a new initiative: BDSM Reimaging Inclusion Through Equity or BRITE. Our vision with this project is to create an online learning portal and certification program where kink leaders and organizers can actively gain skills and knowledge to make their communities, venues, events, and organizations more equitable and inclusive. How many of us have been to an event or a venue that missed the mark on accessibility or inclusion simply because they didn’t know how to make their space equitable? How many of us wish we could make our kink organizations more diverse, but have no clue where to start? BRITE aims to build upon the amazing content presented at KBtL conferences and share that content alongside guided reflection exercises and other resources in order to empower leather leaders of all kinds to make change in their local communities. ## Mission: BRITE strives to provide kink leaders and organizers with critical concepts, skills, and resources to make their local communities, venues, events, and organizations more inclusive and equitable. ## Goals: 1. Create a space where kink community leaders and organizers can learn how to make their communities, venues, events, and organizations better for people who experience marginalization. 2. Educate participants in the concepts of marginalization, oppression, stigma, discrimination, privilege, equity, accessibility, and inclusion by delivering kink-centered content anchored in marginalized perspectives. 3. Empower participants to apply this knowledge in their own communities, venues, events, and organizations in order to dismantle systems of oppression and facilitate open dialogues with and among marginalized members of their communities. 4. Equip participants with the skills needed to be respectful, thoughtful, intentional, attentive, humble, and courageous when they begin the work of making change in their communities. 5. Build a directory of communities, venues, events, and organizations that have obtained the BRITE Certification. ## More Information: An exploratory committee for BRITE launched in February 2025 and work is ongoing to bring this to life in late 2026 or 2027. #### page 38 # Appendix A: Sessions * “I can’t help it that I’m popular” | Princess * A(ce)spects of Making Love | Kitty Hermit * Achy Breaky Bod: Kink, Sex, and Chronic Pain | Knotty Gal * Adaptive Ties | Caritia * ADHDom | D\_Moon\_ * Age Play Social | boi sassafrass \& Jayeson * Aging Kinksters Social | Cecilia Tan * Always On: A Connection Space for Military \& First Responders | Puffy the Pixie * Beyond Accessibility to Real Inclusion | Master BlindDancer * BIPOC Social * Bootblack and Leather Lounge * Breaking the Stigma: Sexually Transmitted Infections, Disclosure, and Sexy Confidence in BIPOC Communities and the Sex Industry | Mx.Lore * But I’m a Parent!: Navigating a Kinky Life While Also Raising Little Humans | Maeve McBride * Closing Ceremonies | Echolynx * Closing the Inter-age Dialogue | Kaybee, Master Taíno, Raven Kaldera, and Jardinero * Cultivating Accountability | Connor Synuates * Decolonising Kink | Caritia * Embodied Eroticism For Bodies Marginalized By The State | M’kali-Hashiki * Fire Play Demo | D\_Moon\_ * Flirt Zones (Everyone, Femme for Femme, Masculine for Masculine, Transgender \& Non-Binary) * How I Overcame Sexual Trauma with Kink and Trust: A Relationship Experiment | Kalin from caringfor.space and Blu Doppe * I am Daddy: An Exploration of Self-Collaring | Puffy the Pixie * I See Melanated People! Navigating Feeling and Looking Different at Events | Queen Ana Blue * Interrogation Play 101: Reclaiming the Scene, Rewriting the Script | Akasha * Keynote Event | Akasha, Cecilia Tan, Laura Antoniou, and others * Marginalization Debrief * Navigating Through Your Whiteness | Ginger Sparks * Opening Ceremonies | Echolynx * PDA and Obedience, or How I Learned to Say No Through Bratting | Ginger Sparks * Power Dynamic As Exoskeleton: Coping With Disability in A M/s Relationship | Raven Kaldera and Joshua Tenpenny * Power Protocol and Playtime: A Deep Dive into Intensive Age Play | boi sassafrass and Jayeson * Pre-conference Social * Q\&As (Attendees, Educators, Volunteers) * Reading Between the Sheets: A Community Lounge | Naughtiiie * Sexploration Quest: Cummence Your Journey! | Nishita Raghu Rao * Standing in Boots: Being Present \& Accountable During Conflict | Ezulie Supreme and naro * The Cycle of Sexuality Focus Group \& Interviews | Echolynx and puck * The Neuroscience of Pain and Pleasure: An Exploration into BDSM | Nishita Raghu Rao * The Ordeal Path: BDSM Spirituality | Raven Kaldera and Joshua Tenpenny * They Not Like Us! No My Skin is Not Like Yours! Let’s Talk About How to Play! | Queen Ana Blue * Thursday Social * Town Hall * Wet and Messy Play Demo | Jardinero * What I Hold, I Offer (privilege work ceremony) | D\_Moon\_ * Whitewashing in Kink Spaces | Flo * Working out the Kinks: Knowledge and Advice Community Exchange | Flo, Maser BlindDancer, Rose, and Kitty Hermit #### page 39 # Appendix B: Educators * Akasha * Blu Doppe * boi sassafrass * Caritia * Cecilia Tan * Connor Synuates * D\_Moon\_ * Echolynx * Ezulie Supreme * Flo * Ginger Sparks * Jardinero * Jayeson * Joshua Tenpenny * Kalin from caringfor.space * Kaybee * Kitty Hermit * Knotty Gal * Laura Antoniou * M'kali-Hashiki * Maeve McBride * Master BlindDancer * Master Taíno * Mx.Lore * naro * Naughtiiie * Nishita Raghu Rao * Princess * puck * Puffy the Pixie * Queen Ana Blue * Raven Kaldera * Rose #### page 40 # Appendix C: Partners ## Rigger ($500+) * None ## Primal ($301-$499) * None ## Bootblack ($100-$300) * Pandastory * Sinclair Sexsmith * Talking to Storms * 3 anonymous Partners ## Puppy ($26-$99) * Cecilia Tan Publishing * KINK Providence * South Plains Leatherfest ## Switch ($5-$25) * Dark Miss * Midwest Lovefest #### page 41 # Appendix D: Staff ## Leadership * Echolynx:Producer ## Directors * AngelaRae : Co-Director of Consent and Emotional Care * Cir Papi Di4bl0 : Co-Director of Consent and Emotional Care * Connor Synuates : Director of Operations * Creature : Director of Communications * professor kitty : Director of Registration * Robin : Director of Technology \& Website Management ## Operations Team Members * Phoenix Flower ## Consent and Emotional Care Team Members * Connor Synuates * professor kitty * Mrs. Dee Supreme * MsJay ## Staff Assistants * Hotel * Liv ## Honorable Mention The following individuals served some time on Staff this year, but were not on Staff at the time of the event and so were not listed on our website. They had to step back for a variety of reasons, but they were still valued members of the team! * Daddy Dragon : (Former) Director of Volunteers * Killian : (Former) Operations Team Member * Master Kelly : (Former) Director of Volunteers * panda : (Former) Director of Attendees \& Engagement * Ruby : (Former) Staff Assistant * Sarah Sloane : (Former) Director of Registration