Dominatrixes Descend on Downtown to Protest Depiction of S&M in 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Sadomasochism is “a sexual orientation” and not a mental illness as depicted in the new film “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and the S&M community will fight false prejudices that have destroyed the lives of practitioners who are “outed,” a longtime dominatrix and fetish film star said today.

“It’s not a character defect, it’s not a mental illness,” Tara Indiana told City News Service prior to a protest at the film’s opening. “It’s a sexual orientation.”

The movie opens tonight and is expected to be wildly successful at the box office.

“My overall concern is that most people who see this movie are going to be exposed to S&M for the first time and they’re going to think this is what it’s about,” Indiana said.

Indiana and other dominatrixes and their supporters will be protesting outside the Regal Theatre at L.A. Live tonight when showings begin. Indiana said she does not want people who watch the film to walk away with the wrong impression.

“Our main problem is the way that it depicts it ... as a mental illness,” she said. “People in our community ... they’ve lost their jobs, they’ve lost custody of their children -- they’ve lost their homes, families, wives -- when they get outed. It’s really bad.”

She said the character Christian Grey is essentially portrayed in the books by E.L. James as a “damaged and flawed” man who is left with no ability to relate with women except in an abusive way. The story portrays “a dominant guy as being mentally ill.”

• City News Service
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