BackDrop - Think back

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History of the BackDrop Club

Think back to the age of ten. You're playing cowboys and Indians with some neighbor kids. You just caught that cute little girl next door - the one who just watches you when she thinks you are not looking but otherwise acts stuck up and won't talk to you - and you tied her to a tree. Now you're going to tickle her. That'll teach her a lesson...

Think back to the age of ten. You and your friends just found the boys' secret clubhouse, and you're going to find out what they do in there. You're scared - you don't know what they'll do if they catch you spying. And yet a small part of you hopes you'll get caught...

Everybody has fantasies. Most people discover them as kids. They might start anywhere - playing a game with the other kids exploring an attic or basement, at they doctor's office, in class For reasons no one knows, something - the delicious terror of discovery, the way the nurse makes us feel when she takes our temperature, the feel of a particular fabric, or of mud squishing between our toes, the smell of leather or sweat - strikes us as especially, magically exciting, and we never forget it, never cease to pursue it. Even if we're "caught" and punished for being "naughty", our fantasies remain with us. Indeed, sometimes we even incorporate the anticipation of punishment into the fantasy!

It's only as adults that we become defensive about our fantasies - especially those that excite us sexually. We're told repeatedly that being turned on by sexual fantasies is somehow not, well... normal. We have no choice but to keep our fantasies secret, lest our friends, our intimates, think us weird.

But we do have a choice. Many ordinary everyday people discover that they can share their fantasies - that other good, decent people have "shameful" secrets much like our own!

Too many people, though, still feel they have to hide their most intimate imaginings. Who do you dare talk to about something as "far out" as erotic fantasy? What kind of people actually like "that kind of thing", and where do you find them? How can you be sure you won't offend someone, get hurt, or make a fool of yourself? How can you do "those" things safely with someone like you?

Fifty years ago, a club called BackDrop was started in the Bay Area. It was to be the "props and scenery behind everybody's fantasies", a social and educational resource for people who had fetish or fantasy interests, but didn't know where, with whom, or how to play. Thirty interesting years later, BackDrop is alive and well and thriving in a convenient clubhouse near San Francisco under the direction of its founder, Robin Roberts. The club offers its members an extensive library of books, magazines, and videos, ranging from studies in Anthropology to Psychology to the most esoteric erotica; it publishes a monthly newsletter ("Party-Lines") and a quarterly magazine ("Common Bonds"); it offers a wide range of events, including Leather and Lace fashion shows, various forums and demonstrations (of, for instance, how to meet other people of like interests, how to play safely, how to make or buy inexpensive toys and equipment) slave auctions, parties, and special interest groups.

And those who wish to explore their fantasies in private sessions, there is a well-trained and talented professional staff. The club's large playrooms can accommodate fantasies built around a realistic "dungeon" environment, with some very impressive furnishings and equipment. For travelers, BackDrop publishes an international resource list of fetish and fantasy-friendly businesses, nightclubs, social groups, and individuals. And for the electronic traveler, there is a computerized Bulletin Board Service and Internet connections

The club has also been responsible for quite a few spin-offs. Some were special interest groups that grew into organizations of their own; some were formed by people who felt the club didn't meet their special needs, and created their own versions. A few such groups are still around today, and new groups, inspired by their success, form regularly. All have contributed to the current wealth of fetish and fantasy opportunities in Northern California.

If you are an individual or couple who would like to get more comfortable with your own fetish and fantasy interests, a visit to the BackDrop Club is a must, if only to see for yourself how many perfectly "ordinary" people feel just as you do. If you think you'd also like to try private sessions, you should get to know the club's sessions staff, which specializes in dominant/submissive play and the dynamics of control and surrender and is well known for maintaining the highest standards of safe, legal play, for caring and respecting limits

Robin is a disabled Navy VET, although sometimes it is hard to tell. In mid-2018, he took a pretty bad fall and ended up in the VA Hospital with a minor concussion and cracked ribs. Since he was unable to run the club on a day-to-day basis, the club was again closed in August 2018. He fell on bad times and found himself homeless in San Jose. In February 2019, the Veterans Administration was able to find him housing in the San Jose area, which is where he lives today. Although it is difficult to host the club at this time, he plans to reopen the future.

In the interim, he is trying to get his "SM-201" wiki site back online.



See also [ BackDrop Club History ]

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