Conversio Virium (CV), one of the oldest university student-run
BDSM
BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged in ...
education groups in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, is the central
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...
student organization
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...
that represents the college's collective population who engage in consensual BDSM and related activities. CV is a
not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
group that advocates strongly for freedom of
sexual self-expression and is particularly concerned with creating a safe and welcoming environment for young people to explore their interest in alternative
sexual practices, especially
consensual sexual dominance and submission (D/s). CV participates in many of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
's sexuality community events alongside similar organizations such as
The Eulenspiegel Society.
History
In 1994, soon after Conversio Virium's inception, a Columbia University
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
group accused CV of violating its own
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princip ...
and as a result the university expelled CV from its grounds. The accusations were eventually proven untrue and CV was reinstated as an official Columbia University student organization. In the process, CV gained many allies from both the BDSM community and elsewhere, including Robert B. Chatelle, Board Member of the
National Writers Union at the time, who wrote to CV offering support.
In 2007, Conversio Virium made national television headlines when
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ...
invited
Ann Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter (; born December 8, 1961) is an American conservative media pundit, author, syndicated columnist, and lawyer. She became known as a media pundit in the late 1990s, appearing in print and on cable news as an outspoken critic ...
to comment on an article published in the ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Ta ...
'' about the university's sex clubs called ''Wild Sex 101'', in which the club and the university was criticized.
See also
*
Cuffs (Iowa State University)
*
List of universities with BDSM clubs
External links
*
Link on University website
References
BDSM organizations
Columbia University student organizations
{{Columbia University