Understanding BDSM in Indonesia : Stories of Self Discovery

Pride House, Tue 30 Jul 3:00 PM–3:45 PM

Speech by Aeshapadma

This is the speech about the life experiences of myself and some other Indonesians who navigate ourselves in the intersection of being part of an invisible minority called BDSM, while also being part of core privileged social categories – Asian Muslim, and Asian Christian. These are the stories of our struggle of being honest with ourselves about each of our sexuality, identity, and lifestyle. I would like to share my life journey, my struggle for self-acceptance, and BDSM as my practice of resistance towards oppression that I experienced personally as a "non-mainstream" individual, in the urban society of Indonesia. I would also like to share my experiences with the other BDSM practitioners that I met in life, in which their stories assist me to understand how BDSM is liberating and enriching my spirituality, mental health, intellectuality, and expression of love. Through their life as my inspiration, in the end I am able to make peace with myself and proudly coming out as a BDSM practitioner. I hope that my story resonates with people who are struggling to understand themselves, to realise that they are not misfits, and to encourage them to support creating safe space for everyone to express themselves.