Editor:

Thank you for Ryan Burns’ excellent article “At the Orgy” about Humboldt Imps latest sex-positive event (Oct. 30).

It must be mentioned, though, that Ghouls Gone Wild was not an “orgy.” This is an important linguistic distinction. An orgy involves multiple parties who have all consented to interact sexually with one another. It was explicitly stated to those of us who arrived at the Imps event that attendance did not imply consent for any sexual interaction.

Everyone consented to be at a sexy event with conscious, friendly people and juicy energy. The decision to seek out opportunities to play with others in a sexual manner was an entirely individual choice, and one that we shouldn’t have any other way.

— Silas Knight, Arcata

Editor:

As one of the three women who led The Impropriety Society, I want to express our appreciation for a factual and respectful article about our event in last week’s Journal.

However, I feel that your reporter succumbed to a very predictable interpretation of the party and minimalized our mission by reducing it to “sex parties.” It’s very important to us that the community understands the depth and breadth of what we strive to create. We’re far more than what many people assume. Had the reporter done a little more research at our website or by speaking to us more deeply, he would have realized that it’s not just about the sex.

The Society puts tremendous emotional energy into community building through staff trainings, e-mail discussions and primers in advance of the events. There is a high level of conscious intention put towards creating the safe emotional space for transformation and healing, so that people feel comfortable expressing parts of themselves that are not accepted anywhere else in our culture. We’ve also provided (and plan more) educational workshops on a variety of topics, from communication to sensual massage to kinky practices. And we hope to grow to meet other needs in the community as we discover what they are.

We are proud that we draw people from the Bay Area and other distant locales due to the quality of our events and because of our inclusiveness of all modes of erotic expression (we hear the city provides parties for particular subcultures like Furries or BDSM, but not for everyone to come together). It would be great for the readers in our community to be aware of the intensity of thought and care that goes into The Society’s activities, especially for it being an entirely volunteer endeavor.

— April Cooper, Eureka

Sweet Spot: Silas Knight wins a Bon Boniere sundae for sending our favorite letter of the week.