So, you joined GMSMA so you could get reduced entrance fees to the Wednesday night programs and special events. Great. Or you joined so you would be eligible to sign up for our Special Interest Groups, our workshops and our seminars. Why not? Or you wanted to make sure you got into one of GMSMA's Dungeon Demos, not to mention receiving NewsLink free of charge. Who wouldn't? And all these are just part of the benefits and perks membership in GMSMA brings. But are they the best reasons? I don't think so. Then what are?

Let's start with some typical members who, for important reasons, cannot attend our Wednesday programs or the many educational seminars and demos that we schedule because they live outside the New York area or simply have other commitments that preclude their taking advantage of these particular membership offerings. Why have they become members of GMSMA? I think they have joined for reasons that have nothing to do with programs or workshops or news magazines, etc. They see membership in GMSMA as a legitimate expression of support for the largest gay male s/m organization in the world. But let's investigate that support in greater depth.

You know, we all join various social, religious, political or educational groups not for what they can give us directly but simply because we believe in the particular work or goals or influence that each is embarked on to make our own private world much better. They are doing what we, as individuals, are incapable of. For instance, joining People for the American Way or AmFAR or the ASPCA or the Democratic National Committee, etc., is merely saying, "I support what you are doing, because, in the long run, it re-enforces what I believe, it enhances my life, it gives meaning to the kind of person I am." And those, my friends, are the best reasons and reasons enough!

Membership in GMSMA should stem first and foremost from the belief that, as a gay male who believes in the legitimacy of sexual expression taking place in the context of an s/m relationship, being part of the group is one way of promoting all that is good and worthy in the organization's pursuit of attaining its goals. Until the creation of GMSMA, there simply had never been a gay male s/m group that attempted in a significant way�on both the national and international scale�the purposes of GMSMA. We were the very first to speak of s/m in terms such as "consensual s/m practices and relationships can be healthy, safe, and positive expressions of human love and sexuality."* (Italics mine.)

Yes, we have made it easier for gay men around the world to feel better about themselves, because we have dispelled the "myth and fears about s/m."* More important, we have established ourselves as the major purveyors of "ideas, feelings, techniques, and health and safety information."* integral to the practice of safe s/m. Lastly, we are activists at the core: We reach out not only to the s/m community but also to the greater gay community; we raise substantial sums of money to support numerous gay causes; and, on a political level, we act as watchdogs, challenging those who would denigrate or distort or deny our right to practice s/m. Are these not the most cogent reasons for joining GMSMA?

There are many s/m clubs and groups that subscribe to much of GMSMA's philosophy, but I do not believe any has attained the scope and success of our organization. For many, what we do is simply not their bailiwick. Their major focus may be, perhaps, play parties or s/m weekends, etc., which is fine. In fact, many GMSMA members (including this writer) belong to one or more of these clubs and groups and enjoy what they offer. If they do not schedule programs as we do or provide special interest groups or a speakers bureau, it is because they see their own raison d'�tre to be quite different from ours.

As the viable entity that we are, it is no surprise that we are constantly seeking new members from all parts of the world, because we believe that together, as a firmly committed s/m organization, we can continue to be the premier voice of safe, sane and consensual s/m. But most of you already know that.

When a man joins GMSMA, he joins for myriad reasons, because we are, truly, a multi-faceted organization.

*Exceprts from GMSMA's Statement of Purpose

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