The Committee on Student Life approved 15 student organizations, including Harvard College Munch.
This group, which began meeting informally a year ago, has grown to about 30 members, according to the school’s student newspaper The Crimson.
Michael, who was granted anonymity by the newspaper, started the club last October.
He told the newspaper that club recognition will provide a sense of relief for current and future members knowing they are receiving institutional support. Munch is described as a low-pressure social gathering for people involved in or interested in BDSM — bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism.
Being officially recognized on campus will allow the group to put up posters for events and promote Munch’s presence. They will also be eligible for funding that will provide food and drinks for their gatherings.
Michael says that most members’ kinks fall on the BDSM spectrum.
Mae, a member of the organization who asked to be identified by her middle name, told the newspaper that the group has made her feel comfortable to discuss her interests.
“I didn’t think that anyone was even remotely interested (in kink) on campus,” Mae told The Crimson. “It’s a community where you can feel safe, and you can feel comfortable talking about (kink).”
Michael, the founder of the club, said the best part of being officially recognized is that it gives the club legitimacy and that “we are being taken seriously.”
Nathalie Miraval, who reported on this story for the Crimson, said this group is only a discussion group.
“It’s not like these kids are coming together to have sex,” she told the Toronto Star in an interview. “They are just trying to open up the discussion about sex on campus.”
Justin J. Lehmiller, a lecturer in Harvard’s psychology department and a sex columnist, said that he believes that students should learn about the diversity in sexual behavior.
“What this group will do is give students who feel outside of the sexual mainstream an opportunity to learn that they are not alone,” he said in an email to the Star.
Lehmiller said he expects there will be a stigma associated with the group and reservations from administrators, faculty staff and other students.
“Sex is a topic that already makes a lot of people feel uncomfortable, and when you add the word “kinky” in front of it, discomfort increases even further,” he said.
It’s important to note, he added, that the organization has a dedicated safety team that has the job of referring students who have been victims of abuse to appropriate health services on campus.
Other approved organizations, who will gain official recognition after completing a workshop on Friday, include the Harvard College Comics Club, the Harvard Undergraduate Mathematics Association, and the Harvard Undergraduate Maternal Health Initiative.
Harvard College is one of two schools within Harvard University.
It is the “original” Harvard, founded in 1636 as the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
It has about 6,500 undergraduates, with nearly equal numbers of men and women.
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