Unholy Harvest Weekend Ottawa – Oct 8-11

This was a truly wonderful event that I am so happy I had the opportunity to particpate in.

The event is hosted by Breathless, Ottawa’s Alternative Lifestyles Community Centre, and organized by the fabulous Unholy Army of the Night, a Montreal based group that provides BDSM events for women. An Unholy Harvest is an annual weekend-long leather/BDSM event for women and trans people held in Ottawa, Canada over Thanksgiving weekend every October. Co-founded in 2007 by Jacqueline St-Urbain and Andrea Zanin, An Unholy Harvest is open to women (including trans women) and trans men who respect and honour a women’s play space and who feel they have a place among leatherdykes.

I have been to a few UAOTN events in Montreal and these are a really a close and welcoming group of ladies. It was really great to experience a whole weekend with all those wonderful people.

There were three play parties, BDSM/kink workshops, the fun afternoon catering service, and kinky auction, film screenings, and erotica readings all under the 1950’s theme of “Pink Ladies” and “Greasers”, perfect!

I provided a mummification workshop on behalf of the ALCCVA with the help of the lovely Miss Destiny as my demonstration model. I must admit I spent a great deal of time laughing and sharing stories during that workshop and that brought me and everyone else a lot closer. I tend to go on from time to time, but everyone seemed quite entertained.

I was super happy that I had so many people willing to try mummification after wards. Often there are only a few who really get up to take out the plastic wrap or bondage tape and start trying it for the first time, but these women were right in there lol. It was fabulous!

Thank you to everyone for making the weekend so special. Please do contact us anytime and we hope to see more of you!

– CA

Alternative Lifestyles Workshop @ Club Sin – Oct 1

While we had a small group, it was nice to hear share so many personal stories about our workshop subject.

Rarely do I get to meet a F2M cross dresser (biological female who cross dresses as a male). It was so nice to discuss the differences and similarities among genders, cross dressers, and kinksters alike. I meant to invite her to our next CD meeting… I better get on that!!! If you are reading this, please check our schedule and come!

As well, it is becoming more and more common that people are choosing and living healthy and positive poly relationships (Polyamory). I had the opportunity to listen to someone talk about his experiences in his own poly relationships and offer his perspective about making it work.

 

So in the end, though I was the one giving the workshop, there was more of the group teaching and sharing and myself listening, than me teaching at all.

It is interesting to note how much people really know about alternative lifestyles. Now imagine how sharing that knowledge with others helps educate people and reduce the misconceptions and fears about these communities!

– C.A.