The policy:
Minky is a queer Twin Cities based, sex positive, and body positive BDSM community geared towards adults aged 18-35. In service of that, party capacity is prioritized to people 18-35 of all identities, and then to trans individuals aged 36+.
Background:
Minky is a queer Twin Cities-based, sex positive and body positive BDSM community geared towards adults aged 18-35.
Minky prioritizes members ages 18-35 in everything we do, including party attendance. Minky is also dedicated to being a safer space for trans people in our community, moderating and holding our membership not only to party rules and our consent policy, but to cultural behavior expectations. At our parties, it’s often that half the attendees are trans. We feel there is a vital need for safer spaces in the community for trans people. We’re committed to facilitating safer spaces through values alignment. This means believing survivors and not harboring predators.
Minky has been reflecting on if we are doing everything we can in service of meeting our goals as a safer space for people 18-35, and as one of the most heavily LGTBQ+ BDSM groups around. This has included taking a look at our age restriction policies.
For the sake of background:
– Minky munches are not and have never been age restricted.
– 36+ partners of someone 18-35 who is attending have historically been allowed to RSVP with their partner, and held to minimal standards beyond that.
– “Friend of Minky” status was historically given to some members including past moderators and hosts, which allowed them to RSVP to our parties. The Friend of Minky role has recently been phased-out in favor of Associate Membership. Being an Associate member requires a formal application and vote by the mod team, and if 36+ is weighted toward former members and community members whose presence enriches the spaces we cultivate.
– Hosts have always been allowed to invite people to their own parties who may be 36+.
Our reflections around age restriction have been focused on clarifying the above into a more concise policy that ensures Minky is and always remains a safer space for members 18-35 and members of the LGBTQ+ community, with a particular focus on further restricting both guests of hosts and 36+ “plus ones” of Minky members in both age and values alignment.
This has led us to the following simplified statement:
Minky is a queer Twin Cities based, sex positive, and body positive BDSM community geared towards adults aged 18-35. In service of that, party capacity is prioritized to people 18-35 of all identities, and then to trans individuals aged 36+.
This statement is quick and encompassing, replacing exceptions being made for partners of members 18-35 and to guests of hosts. These attendees will be required to RSVP separately, and be held to the same cultural standards and safer space commitments. We’d rather have a values aligned person over 35 than an empty seat in our party capacity.
Minky is a queer BDSM group geared towards members 18-35. This simplified statement will provide clarity and stricter control over who attends our parties.