DEMC

Who we are

F.I.S.T. is a women-centered leather/BDSM, service, educational, and social organization. Our activities center S/M, leather, BDSM, kink, and fetish experiences involving women and members of this women-centered community.

Who may become a member

Membership is open to women and to people who are intersex or who identify as transgender, genderqueer, gender-nonconforming, genderfluid, agender, or nonbinary and whose identities and interests align with F.I.S.T.’s women-centered mission. Eligibility is based on each person’s self-identification and the membership requirements established in F.I.S.T.’s bylaws.

Our members bring intersecting experiences shaped by race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, neurodivergence, access needs, education, national origin, religion, socioeconomic background, and other lived experiences.

Our commitments

We are a diverse club committed to nondiscrimination, equity, and respect. The following standards guide how we communicate, make decisions, plan activities, and participate in community:

1. Consent, privacy, and safer participation. We work to create a safer, confidential environment where members and guests may connect and participate authentically and voluntarily, with respect for consent, privacy, boundaries, and differing access needs.
2. Clear communication. We communicate and interact with clarity and transparency.
3. Policy review. We examine and work to change any policy or procedure found to violate our DEMC standards.
4. Learning and intentional action. We commit time and resources to challenge and expand our views. We work to recognize unconscious bias and act intentionally in how F.I.S.T. moves through the world and contributes to our communities.
5. Multicultural perspectives and representation. We maintain awareness of multicultural perspectives and representation within our leadership, membership, and planning activities.
6. Listening and learning. We commit to hearing and learning from all the voices of F.I.S.T. and the communities we support.
7. Racial history and social structures. We seek to understand how racism—past and present—operates through interpersonal behavior, institutional practices, policies, and social structures. We commit to identifying and reducing the harms those systems create.
8. Anti-racist language and practices. We are committed to anti-racist language and practices.
9. Accessible communication and participation. We provide information in readable, accessible formats; use captions, interpretation, or other communication supports when appropriate; and offer a clear way for participants to request reasonable accommodations.