Sex blogger fired; this is why I write under a pseudonym

Turns out that while I was on vacation recently, sex blogger The Beautiful Kind was fired from her job at a nonprofit in St. Louis.

"My boss said that they couldn't be associated with anyone who was posting graphic images and erotica, and they wanted me to pretend that I never even was there; they want nothing to do with me, they want to act like it never happened," recounts TBK, who had been in the position about a month.

?Declining to name the employer, she reveals only that that the organization is a nonprofit, and that she had been hired part time to do "office work" with the understanding that the position would soon go to full time. "They're something I really believe in and I really, really still believe in it and wish them the best and all that," she says. "And I understand why they did what they did, but it's still pretty crazy unfair. It's really lifestyle discrimination."

During my time as a sex activist, a few people have wanted to know why I work under a pseudonym. They say things like, "You started a hugely successful film series at a mainstream museum -- that's rsum material, not something to hide!" Or they say, "Your message is about being free in your sexuality -- so why aren't you open about your identity?" One ex-boyfriend even chewed me out for it, informing me that I'm a hypocrite and demanding to know, "What are you so afraid of?"

Well, darlin', here you have it: this. This is exactly what I'm afraid of.

Also interesting (albeit gross) are some of the comments on the article ....

For those of you who say: "Hey we live in the U.S.A, we can do whatever we want. Why should I be fired?", I say right back to you: "I am an employer and I can do whatever I want. You make my organization look trashy. You're fired." Common sense goes a long way in the real world baby cakes. (from commenter: acidrave)

I work at a non-profit. I'm trying to imagine how I'd feel if one of my co-workers were willing to risk our whole mission just so she could tell the Internet about her fuckscapades. I don't think I'd punch them, but I'm not sure. ... can someone for five seconds stop and think what it means to operate a non-profit in a conservative area, how hard it is to raise funds in the current economic climate, and how many people could suffer? TBK was being stupid and thoughtless. She had every right to blog about whatever she wants to, but her employer had every right not to be associated with her blog. (from commenter: Susannah Vane)

Relevant posts from my personal blog:
* Coming Out BDSM: Outness as a Political Act, and the Complications Thereof
* 5 Sources Of Assumptions and Biases About S&M

[Hat tip to Yes Means Yes for the link!]