Tag Puppy Play

Academic Paper Approved!

Ashley Kahurangi Leave a comment

This won’t mean much to many here but a LANDMARK for transgender representation in the academic research about the BDSM community.

The lesson here: there’s endless ways to fight the good fight for rights and recognition.

I have been volunteering in many things in the fetish community for years, mainly the puppy play roleplay scene.

In 2016 (4 years before leaving the trans closet) I hated how ppl gossiped “trans people, especially transwomen don’t do puppy play, it’s just gay guys” (this was also reflected in the only 2 scientific papers written at the time) So instead of fighting and complaining, I got to work. REALLY HARD work because I’ve never graduated at University beyond 2 years of elite sport performance study and a few unrelated topics.

I have been learning how to do academic research (including teaching myself ethics committee approval systems) into sex research and with the help of University of Sunderland in the UK and the “Archives of Sexual Behaviour” they have completed peer review and confirmed my first academic paper disproving this social gossip and WILL include information of the gender identity and it’s diversity in this niche BDSM fetish.

One year ago, after 20 years in the closet, at age 34, I came out as a transwoman, while still working on this. This week is my 1 year anniversary of being on HRT and i get confirmed that I’m now considered the leading sex researcher on this field of work in Australia at least. What have I got myself into! 🤣🤣

And I’m still working on continuing the projects data collection into at least 2023. And the research book about the fetish, it’s community and history still a few years away from publication too.

I will make this paper free to access and download once it’s out. (We have over 12 more planned including a dedicated paper on gender diversity and expression on the ’16 and ’18 data, let alone comparing evolution of diversity pre vs post pandemic)

C-PTSD Crisis

Ashley Kahurangi Leave a comment
Disheveled Early In Admission

My C-PTSD crisis relapsed and I was readmitted back into hospital again almost two weeks ago with memory-loss and panic attack flare-ups from trauma mainly from past abuse, homelessness and other unmentionable things.

I have started recovering again and while this stay will be longer than the last one, this time mistakes from the last discharge have been resolved and more supports are being put in place now to make sure I can come home for good and in a better space than ever soon enough.

I been having some cathartic healing with the trauma that happened to me while I was in vicpah and my pack, old painful friendships have had some closures and some with healing. While been working with a psych about what happened to me when I was homeless before I joined the pup scene.

I am so thankful of everyone who has helped me through this crisis and I could not have survived through this without all your help directly and indirectly.

I am still healing and not out of the woods yet, I am working hard on getting better and setting up safety plans. C-PTSD is a complex beast that’s like your home covered in invisible mouse traps for an indeterminate amount of time, some triggers known, some come as a total surprise as what happened when I rejoined vicpah in early March.

Thank you again for everyone being there for me. To know I have friends who will drop things to help a friend in crisis and even the smallest help all has truly added up and that’s helped me heal through this faster. Someday I’ll go into more details (since I am writing a biographical book of my gender journey 🤣) but for now, thank you for respecting my need of privacy when I’m unable to answer your questions.