This whole fiasco is a case study in how to not follow research ethics principles. I do research. If I did this, I'd be severely disciplined by my institution. Thanks to @ropesbyasher.bsky.social and others for doing the heavy lifting

Ropes By Asher@ropesbyasher.bsky.social · 6mo ago

I can't believe this. @itmantwerp.bsky.social says attendees "clearly consented" to having their images used because photos are on the Darklands website. Consent for festival promotion ≠ consent to be featured in an academic chemsex conference presentation.

Free Informed Consent = 3 words that all matter! FREE → No pressure, no coercion. You can say no without consequences. INFORMED → You get ALL the info in language and medium you actually understand: risks, benefits, alternatives. CONSENT → YOU decide. Not your doctor. Not your family. YOU.

Tuck, E., & Yang, K. W. (2014). R-words: Refusing research. Humanizing research: Decolonizing qualitative inquiry with youth and communities, 223(2014), 248.

I can't believe this. @itmantwerp.bsky.social says attendees "clearly consented" to having their images used because photos are on the Darklands website. Consent for festival promotion ≠ consent to be featured in an academic chemsex conference presentation.

@itmantwerp.bsky.social responded to a formal complaint about identifying images of Darklands participants used at their chemsex conference. Their conclusion: “no formal mistakes.” Let’s talk about what that response actually reveals. 🧵

Without that transparency, the pattern here is a familiar one in public health research: marginalized communities studied, then consulted; harmed, then acknowledged. That is the colonial research structure we, as a community, have named, plainly.

An internal review conducted without community involvement is a self-assessment, not accountability. As scholars of participatory research ethics have long established, communities most affected by research must be partners in its evaluation, not recipients of its conclusions.

Thank you ITM for your acknowledgment of the issue. There are subordinate issues that you have not addressed in your statement: 1) The re-publication of photos used by Darklands under a chemsex conference heading 2) The taking of photos by the tourists in the village …

We acknowledge that the presence of Chemsex Conference visitors may have been unexpected at Darklands, and we understand that some attendees may have felt their personal space was affected. Read our joined statement below: @darklandsfest.bsky.social

Folks, I appreciate the loves, but reposts help spread the word.

To be clear, no one wants Darklands to fail, or for ITM to close, that is not what is happening here. Asher’s call is a demand for both institutions to be better and to stand up for the communities they serve. Accountability doesn’t mean destruction, it is the first step to betterment.

Some within our community have attacked Asher for trying to hold Darklands and ITM accountable. I have also been threatened by another academic in the Darklands community. Standing up for what is right usually has costs but it hurts to be attacked by some of the people you’re trying to protect.

Ropes By Asher@ropesbyasher.bsky.social · 6mo ago

I feel this deep in my gut. The support has meant something, but so has the pain of being bullied by people in my own community for speaking up. I’m human. I’m vulnerable. I’m anxious. I’m scared. And I’m still sure sharing what I have was the right thing to do.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

This is so grossly unethical it’s making my stomach turn. What the fuck. I thought Belgium was past “human zoos” but I guess old habits die hard.

THEY TOOK PICTURES WITHOUT PERMISSION. 🤬🤬🤬 Unbelievable! 1) So much for “no data collected,” 2) This was a Safari in all but name to them. Repulsive to the extreme.

Ropes By Asher@ropesbyasher.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Researchers from @itmantwerp.bsky.social Chemsex Conference also took pictures of us engaging in sexual acts. I received this message from the person I was mid-scene with. I, like others, thought tour was city officials. A conference attendee has photos of us doing a scene on their phone. Gross.

Re: Darklands Catastrophe I am stepping away from this issue while the ethical review is underway. The review took less than 6 business hours to trigger — which is heartening to see. Until the review is complete, there is nothing more to discuss.

For those not aware of the Darklands Saga: Darklands invited academics from the International Chemsex Conference to visit while the event was running and people were in various states of kink and undress. It also now appears…

The Blue Sky kinkster experience is what happens when corporations let people just have what they want and don’t get in the way. I’m amazed at how easy it is to link up with the people I like from Twitter, find new people, and not be fed unrelated nonsense. The difference is night and day.