The Adult Content User Group has pretty much evolved into a joke and is poorly attended. It supposedly meets the 3^rd Monday of the month now.

Dream Promenade

However, activity in regard to Adult Content is alive and well, pretty much growing into resident driven private groups. But, the Lab is still involved to some extent in some areas. The Adult Hub is a cooperative effort between a private group and the Lindens.

A new cooperative effort in Adult Art has just been announced. It is a resident and Linden effort. The new project is named: Dream Promenade, which is associated with LEA, Linden Endowment for the Arts. (SLURL)

The curator is Ginette Pinazzo. The mission statement reads:

• To celebrate, develop and promote the arts community of Second Life, in accordance with the LEA mission.
• To provide Outreach to SL residents, participants and attendees.
• To promote a healthy Adult SL: the sophisticated side of Second Life.
• To provide a positive and inspirational experience for all.

…so I guess they are skipping the porn… (that’s a joke).

Much of the information about the Dream Promenade is written in high bureaucratese. Ginette is a wonderful, hardworking member of the community that I think gets a bit overly professional now and then with her wording, which is probably a good thing. I may be too crude. I would have said, ‘going for class, not sleeze.’

For public consumption and PR reasons the concept of consent is a primary concern. Dream Promenade will apparently be restricting some exhibits that depict non-consenting behaviors. So, some art from the BDSM area is likely going to be in a gray area with some being accepted and some rejected. Probably some other areas of human behavior will be unacceptable too. I suppose the part about positive and inspirational suggest the orientation they are going for.

The policy is stated simply as: NO nonconsensual sex (rape, sexual abuse) depictions: Domineering sex depictions are permissible as long as they are not obviously promoting nonconsensus [SIC] (nonconsensual is what I think is meant).

Of course no sexual age play is going to be allowed either. The policy is simple: NO ageplay depictions: includes roles of minors under the age of 18.

Exhibits will be decided on case-by-case. Recommended changes to submitted exhibits for gaining acceptance may be suggested.

Some in the LGBT and BDSM communities immediately move into labeling anyone that disallows anything they wish to do as: anti-LGBT/BDSM. I expect that’s coming. But, I know Ginette and several associated with her are sophisticated enough to not fit the stereotype. Many in the Adult Community understand gaining acceptance and greater general interest in Second Life’s Adult side requires a more positive environment for the 90% to 98% of the population outside the LGBT community. (Reference)

I think both the Lab and many in Adult SL Community understand the need for a more positive adult experience. Somehow the Lab has never been able to effectively promote a classy adult environment and has been stuck with the sleazy side.

Dream Promenade seems to be an effort to move in a more positive direction for the benefit of SL residents, merchants, and the Lab. If you are down with that, check it out and participate.

If you are one that finds, what many of us consider, the more extreme behaviors enjoyable and you wish to promote them in ways that depict non-consensual behavior, you’ll likely need to create another forum.

Personally I’m looking forward to seeing what Dream Promenade brings.