Collar of Reverence
Often perceived as a sexual endeavor, BDSM (Bondage, Domination, Sadism, and Machoism) is anything but sex for those who participate. For them, it is about the exchange of power and control. The Aphrodite Group is a secretive BDSM club in Rochester, N.Y., where those interested come together to play and socialize. Dagmar and Kamakazi, who both go by pseudonyms for privacy reasons, have been “play partners” in a Dominant/Submissive (D/s) relationship since the club’s founding in 2016. “With a D/s, there is a connection in between our souls that the only way I can really describe is that I've never felt it before or ever in any relationship and I've been in love many times before,” said Kamakazi. “And I cannot envision anything other than Dagmar being part of my life for the rest of eternity.”