Folks, I hope you'll join me in welcoming June's Hot Guest, Barbara Nitke. (I can even vouch that she's hot because I've seen her! woo-hoo! *g*)

Barbara is a NYC-based art photographer and sex activist. Here's a copy of her biography, which will give you all the relevant details on who she is, where she's coming from, and--most importantly--what she's up to these days. If you're in the NYC metro area, look for details on her upcoming gallery show.

Welcome, Barbara! So happy you can spare some time to drop by.

Glory

***************

HOT GUEST FOR JUNE: BARBARA NITKE
Website: http://www.BarbaraNitke.com

New York City artist Barbara Nitke has been exploring issues of sexual relationship and desire through photography since 1982. Recently elected president of the prestigious Camera Club of New York, Barbara is on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts in New York and operates http://www.barbaranitke.com, a Web site showcasing her artwork.
  
Hailed by The Village Voice for her quest ³to find humanity in marginal sex,² Nitke has gained worldwide attention for her affecting and powerful photographs chronicling relationships between consenting adults engaged in sadomasochistic activities.
  
³My goal has always been to capture not just the deep intimacy and trust between lovers, but also the intense energy and passion of SM practices,² says Nitke. ³Everyone I¹ve photographed has taught me something new about the nature of sexual desire, humanity, and the fact that no matter how we¹re wired to express love, freedom is having the courage to be who we are.²
  
Nitke¹s photographs have been shown in one-person and group shows around the world and her work is in the permanent collection of the Photographic Museum of Finland and the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago. She is represented by Barristers Gallery, New Orleans; Radiant Light Gallery, Portland, Maine; and Clampart, New York.
  
Nitke is a member of The Eulenspiegel Society, the oldest SM support and educational group in the country, and was recently given a President¹s Choice Award for community service by Pantheon of Leather.

Barbara Nitke's retrospective show - "Twenty Years" - will be held at the
Art@Large Gallery 630 Ninth Ave, #707, New York City, 212-957-8371. An opening reception will be held at the gallery Wednesday July 10 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Come, meet Barbara, and experience her art!

  
Personal Details

Born in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1950, Nitke grew up in both Virginia and Alaska.

Self-taught in photography, Nitke began her professional career in 1982 as a photographer on the sets of porn movies. Her haunting photographs from this period reveal the combination of boredom, surrealism, vulnerability and dissociation inherent in the X-rated world.

Welcome Barbara,

I saw you present at The Crucible a few months ago. Your photography certainly is exciting ... plus you are a delightful person!

:)
paul

June 1: Welcome to Barbara Nitke from Fakir who has admired your work for many years now. Not only is it artistically superior, but also REAL and capturing the energy in your subjects. Congrats on your up coming show!! More later.

Best, Fakir

Hi Barbara,

Welcome to the board.Thank you for putting up t up your bio. We really hope to meet you. With your encouragements Fakir and I will probably will go to Black Rose this year. Will you and show some of your work?

Cleo

Barbara!! Welcome to the boards!
<g>

Hello Fakir :)

MsDubois, it's good seeing you, Madame. I hope you're doing well :)

Wow!!! What a greeting! This is really nice.

Paul, I had a great time at the Crucible - what a great place and great people down there to boot!

Cleo and Fakir, I hope you'll come to BR this year. It's lots of fun and they do treat their featured artists very well!
I will certainly be there. I'll be presenting the group art show that I made for them last year - a bit expanded for this year. And of course still featuring Fakir's work.
AND - if we're all there I can finally buy a copy of your book and get you to sign it! Yaaayyyyyy!

Barb

Cleo,

Oh wait...more to say. I hope I'll get a chance to see The Pain Game at BR too!

Barb

And to everybody -

For some reason I left the CDA lawsuit out of my bio, but it's important and I want to tell you about it. I'm challenging an internet obscenity law called the Communications Decency Act, along with NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom).

To make a long story short, if this law is upheld and enforced it would force sites like Gloria's and most other scene sites to shut down. The law allows the most restrictive communities in America to set the standard for everybody else on the internet.

If people in a small bible belt town in the heart of Alabama think a site is obscene, the site owner could be charged with a felony crime and even be sent to jail. That's how bad the law is.

I hope everybody will support this lawsuit and help NCSF finance fighting it.

More info is available at: http://www.ncsf-foundation.org

Thanks! I'll get off my soap box.

Barb

Hello Barbara,

Welcome!! Such wonderful work!

Barbara,

Would it be okay with you if I created a new thread called "Barbara's NCSF Soapbox" where you could talk AS MUCH as you like about the lawsuit?

Seriously, I'd love to read as much as you're willing to write about it. It's a fascinating case and could have very important implications for all of us who browse here.

hugs,

Glory

Barbara,
        I think that you and the NCSF have a slam dunk of a case concerning the CDA. The supreme court is not John Ashecroft thank God and the court has continued to strike down things brought to it like the CDA. The other thing that I hope that your case will do is bring light on the fact that you need not be part of any group, club, or play in public to be effected by the laws and the way that they can be applied. If people actually would communicate with their law makers and then back up what they tell them by getting into voting boths, maybe things would get better, but untilo that time occurs, or an issue comes up that galvanizes enough people to do so, its good to know that there are still people who will stand for what they believe and fight....not just for themselves but for others as well.

Justin Medlin
Young Dinosaur
    With
Poodle Flair

Hi Barbara:
Welcome, as well as a heartfelt "Thank You!" for your work with the NCSF re: the CDA. i haven't had the pleasure of seeing any of your work in r/l, so-to-speak, but have muchly enjoyed it online on your website... i look forward to your comments here, and wish you well with both the lawsuit, and on a personal and professional level, as well!

Regards!

rory

Thanks to everybody for your support on the CDA lawsuit! This is really important to me and it's great to have people on my side!

Glory,
Thanks for the offer of my own soapbox. I'll be at Leather Retreat camp from June 5-10. How about when I get back I'll take you up on that?
Barb

Saw this on a Yahoo Group I monitor (The Gathering for Faux News Fanatics). Is "The Brady Bunch" next?

paul
**********************

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows.
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27550

Thursday, May 9, 2002
MEDIA MATTERS
Nickelodeon 'promoting' homosexuality?
Family-values group urges protest over children's TV show
Posted: May 9, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Diana Lynne
© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com

The Traditional Values Coalition is urging parents to protest the airing of a Nickelodeon cable television program dealing with homosexuality.

"Nickelodeon advertises itself as a network that parents can trust, but this effort to promote homosexuality shows that parents should think twice before allowing their children to watch this cable channel," said the group's executive director, Andrea Lafferty. "Homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle that leads to infectious diseases, AIDS infection and an early death. This is not a behavior that should be promoted by a children’s network."

The coalition, an interdenominational public-policy organization comprised of more than 43,000 churches across the country, launched a petition drive among the 300,000 recipients of its e-mail alerts.

"We are urging our supporters to contact Nickelodeon President Herb Scannell to ask him to cancel this planned program."

According to Lafferty, the coalition was approached by a story editor with Lucky Duck Productions, producer of the Nickelodeon news magazine, "Nick News," to participate in the production of the show. In an e-mail, the story editor, Tara Keating, described the premise of the Nick News show as being "about gay families and how they are both alike and different from the more 'typical family.'"

One segment of the show, according to Keating, will "deal specifically about the recent controversy regarding anti-discrimination legislation that is being discussed in many states."

The coalition's participation in the program being developed was sought, according to Keating, to "help us to cover both sides of this story fairly." Keating describes, "The show is meant to present various sides of the debate. In addition to hearing from same-sex families and their advocates, we would also like to hear from their opponents. We know that a majority of the population opposes passing laws barring discrimination against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation, and this side will be an important part of the show."

"We understand that this is a difficult topic to cover, especially for kids," Keating added. "'Nick News' has a reputation for covering tough issues on a level appropriate for kids between the ages of 10-15."

When asked about the program, Lucky Duck Productions Executive Producer Mark Lyons told WorldNetDaily, "We're working on a number of different things but because we're still just working on it, there's nothing I can really say about it. I'll send a press release when we have one." Lyons responded to news of the protest saying, "I'm not surprised."

Nickelodeon would neither confirm the program exists nor say whether it is scheduled to air. Marianne Romano, Nickelodeon's vice president of U.S. television told WorldNetDaily, "... at this time no special has been taped, and we do not have any announcements to make regarding upcoming 'Nick News' programming."

The Nickelodeon network is known for its nighttime reruns of popular old television shows and its lighthearted daytime children's programs, including "Rugrats" and "SpongeBob SquarePants." When asked about Nickelodeon's position on homosexuality and whether the network felt it was an appropriate topic for "Nick News" demographics, Romano told WND the questions were not "relevant to anything happening at the network."

According to promotional materials, "Nick News" is the children's television news magazine that takes headline news stories and produces them in a way that helps kids understand the important issues in the story. The show strives for a "level of discussion appropriate for kids 8-13 years old." The series has won an Emmy award for outstanding children's series, as well as both the DuPont and Peabody awards for excellence in journalism.

Lucky Duck Productions, co-founded by veteran and award-winning journalist Linda Ellerbee, has been producing children's programs for Nickelodeon since 1991. Ellerbee is the host and executive producer of "Nick News."

In a letter to Nickelodeon's president, Lafferty expressed concern that Ellerbee "has been a longtime supporter of homosexual causes. In 1996, for example, she participated in the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 'Fairness Awards' ceremony to recognize organizations and individuals that promote homosexuality in the media," wrote Lafferty.

"It's morally objectionable that Nickelodeon is propagandizing kids about homosexuality, which is what they're doing," she told WND. Lafferty further stressed that she only launched the Internet protest after calls and her letter to the cable network went unanswered.

According to promotional materials, Ellerbee's "Nick News" philosophy is to "encourage kids to think, and to question ... to speak up. A noisy citizen is a good citizen. 'Nick News' believes it's the duty of every citizen, no matter what age, to keep her or his mouth open."

"Nick News" airs on Nickelodeon on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. EST.

Related special offer:

"Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distorts the News"

Diana Lynne is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.

Paul,
Thanks for posting that story about Nickelodeon. I sometimes do freelance photography for Nick and they are great people. They're doing great things for children. I hope they don't bow to these ridiculous people.

Barb

Everybody,
I'm off to Leather Retreat in five minutes! Will log on with info on the CDA lawsuit when I get back early next week. A great weekend to all.
Barb

Have fun, Barb, and bring back SORDID details!!! :-)

hugs,

G.

HI all,

I'm back! Still recouperating though.
I"m going to look for the new thread.

Barb

Hiya Barbara!! Welcome back!

Did you have tons of fun?

Thorn 4 my rose and Steel Skys -

I had a fantastic time at Leather Retreat. Just amazing. If you haven't been, you've got to do it once in your life.

I stayed in Lolita's Oink cabin and just life in the cabin alone was a constant voyeur and photographers delight!!!

Meanwhile, you mentioned how would a zone system work? To be honest, I don't know. I'm not technical enough - but I do think on a lay persons level that a system like that makes way more sense than any alternatives I've heard.

Filtering would be a disaster because it puts way too much power in the hands of the people making the filter programs. They could block out whatever they want and you wouldn't even know.

With a zone system, if you elect to go into the combat zone, for example, you know what you're getting into and nothing has to be filtered or censored. If you want to go into a family zone, you know what that is too.

The self rating system that Hollywood has seems to work well. Perhaps there's a parallel way to do it on the web.

Barb

Barbara,

The new thread is there :)
You do have it all mastered. The new thread was just late "appearing" for some reason :x

Hmm. I must've been busy shopping for bunny socks.

Barb, my apologies for this tardiness. The thread is there now, under a new heading. I've moved over all your CDA-specific comments, along with the various questions and comments from members there so, I hope, you can just pick it up where you left off.

Meanwhile, WELCOME BACK! I really do want to hear more about the Oink cabin. Last time I saw Lolita she was walking around clutching a big pink plush pig. If I'm not mistaken, her hunky slave Neptune was carrying one too. I hope you can shed some more light on these divine swine....

xx,

Glory

Folks, just an extra little reminder: I've moved CDA-related messages to another thread in this section. The ones I moved were deleted from this thread, so if you asked Barb something about her legal challenge to the CDA, please scoot over there to continue the discussion.

your friendly moderator

Wellllll,

I'm not sure how much I can divulge about the oink cabin, but there was a poor pig tied up outside on our porch for the entire time. Lolita said he was livestock so he could be treated like that.

And hunky Neptune got a haircut in one of the hottest scenes going!

Of course everybody in the cabin picked up Lolita's habit of telling me about all the fantastic scenes I missed while off photographing other things. Terrible torture!

Barb

LOL - its nice to see you here Barbara!

I got yelled at by Susan while doing my taxi chore cause I kept stopping by the oink! cabin to flirt with Boymeat...

I thought Cabin 6 - "Home of the Switches Equipped With Single Tails" was fun (I think we had a total years output of Rod Williams in our cabin)... Naw, we had nothing going compared to oink! cabin.

Of course we had a grill (steak too!) and dueling coffee makers, but we are a different sort of hedonist.

Anyway, I love your photography cause you take pictures of real people doing real things and you capture the spirit of the joy/agony that those in play experience.

Come to Atlanta and take some pics sometime!

Ann

Ann,
I've been working on the camp photos all day! I"ll be putting up almost 2000 of them for people to see. Going through them is like reliving the whole thing all over. Wow...what a wonderfu time.

Of course I could have just followed Boymeat around all weekend though! Boy that kid stays busy. I believe there's some talk of setting up a Boymeat Kaning Korner on our front porch for those that might be interested.

Meanwhile, I saw your grill - I was jealous. What a great idea.

And thanks for the compliments on my work. I really appreciate that. And I love taking my pictures! If I get to Atlanta I'll let you know.

Barb

Oh hell, they should let Boymeat in camp for free considering all the fun we have with him.

When he invited me to pee on him after lunch (I took a rain check and beat my sweetie instead) I was truly honored though.

Yes, the grill.

The high point of the grill was the TWO large golf carts it takes us to unload the rented SUV it takes to get all that crap up there from Atlanta...

My friend Wild Bill, who I've known for a long time, was one of our taxi drivers for the great migration from the parking lot. Bill saw the bag of kingsford and said "ahh what kind of a scene are you gonna do with those - branding?" Ray says to him, all Southern straight face... "Nope, Anal Play." Took Bill about a second to realize he got his leg pulled.

Actually it was a dinner scene and involved a lot of marinade and something other than chicken...

Meanwhile, yes, I like to take pictures too. Sometimes I actually remember to take pictures of my victims in the middle of a good scene. Lots of time my digital is forgotten. I think it makes it out to play with me about 75%. I'll lay it out with my toys and not even think about it again until I pack up. Whoops.

I used to take a lot of 35MM when I had a darkroom and chemicals available and cheap film if I rolled it up myself. I have not taken a film photo in a very long time, but I use my digital a lot - like once a week, but it is disapointing, reminds me of a 110 camera.

I'm eyeing a much nicer, more able camera. Something like a Minolta Image 7.

I really like black and white, it feels very much like home to me. The idea of playing with my pics in photoshop and not having to go to the lab or a friend's darkroom is appealing. So far I've seen the Minolta as low as 750.00 on the web. It is very tempting.

So, tell me - you work in both digital and film, right? Can you talk at all about what the differences are for you in using both kinds of camera when you photographing people?

I know its not a kinky topic, but gee....

Ann

Ann, Hi! Sorry for the long delay. I've been working in the darkroom late the last few nights.
Anyway...it's great that you're a photographer too!
what I like about digital is the instant replay. It's wonderful to see the shots right away. Also I can deliver a job to a client immediately, rather than waiting days for a lab to develop everything - which for some clients is crucial.
But I feel that film is more of a real craft. YOu really have to know lighting and know how the different films react - and you can create effects that way, and the effects are real rather than Photoshop manipulation. There's a certain pride in that.
The camp photos are all up on the site now in case you're interested.

And next year, the Oink cabin is adding admosphere!!! maybe not a barbecue but we'll have our own specialness!

Take care,
Barb

Barbara,

can't find the new pics on your site. could you provide a url?

Rabid

Rabid and all,
Sorry - I should have sent that privately to Ann. Camp photos are on a hidden page so just the campers can see them. I apologize!

Also - it has been a lot of fun being a guest here. I've enjoyed the discussions, and of course the compliments on my work!

I'll log on tomorrow night - after the Gay Parade - to see if there's anything else. And otherwise I hope to meet everybody someday!

Barb

Hi, folks,

Just a quick note to let you know that this section will vanish by tomorrow. I'll give Barb one more night to check in, in case she'd like to add any final thoughts. Then all the messages in this section will be scrubbed from the Boards and moved to our permanent archives, alongside the threads from Cleo and Fakir's May tenure.

With summer being a slow time, I have decided not to schedule a new guest until September. Stay tuned for an August announcement of the fall line-up of guests! Once again, I plan to invite the best of the best of artists, leaders, and activists in the BDSM/fetish community to visit and share their visions and work with us here.

Meanwhile, as you joined me in welcoming Barbara, please join me noew in thanking her for some wonderfully stimulating dialogue this month and a chance to learn more about her amazing art and brave fight for sexual rights.

Barb, you're a GEM!

love & kisses,

Glory

Gloria and all,

I really enjoyed being your guest! Thanks for a wonderful time.

Barb