Arma Virumque Cano

The weapons inspection team massing in Baghdad under the indomitable Blix is possibly the first such unit to be graced, if that's the word, with an experienced torturer. The Washington Post set the ball rolling last Thursday with a story by James Grimaldi to the effect that Harvey John "Jack" McGeorge of Woodbridge, then in New York waiting to be sent to Iraq as a munitions analyst, is a figure of consequence in the world of BDSM, aka bondage, domination and sado-masochism.

Cofounder and past president of Black Rose, a Washington-area pansexual s&m group, and the former chairman of the board of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, McGeorge is also a founding officer of the Leather Leadership Conference Inc., which "produces training sessions for current and potential leaders of the sadomasochism/ leather/fetish community," according to its website. Grimaldi noted that "several Web sites describe McGeorge's training seminars, which involve various acts conducted with knives and ropes." McGeorge was interviewed in person by Blix and joined the team as a temporary staff member in December 2001.

Don't you love the way "community," once used to evoke the organic virtues of medieval village life, has now widened its ambit to dignify almost any association? "The cannibal community," "the coprophagite community," etc., etc.

Why now do we have the exposing of McGeorge as one well versed in the wisdom of the lash?

Grimaldi let the cat out of the bag, by disclosing that in the arms inspection community, McGeorge's selection over supposedly better qualified experts had caused rage, and presumably the leaking to the Post of McGeorge's baroque sexual pursuits. "McGeorge was picked for the diplomatically sensitive mission over some of the most experienced disarmament sleuths in the world. A U.N. spokesman said McGeorge was part of a group recommended by the State Department, which in turn said it was merely forwarding names for consideration."

This raises the old specter of the McCarthy era of the State Dept. as a nest, or community, of homosexuals, though there seems to be no indication of McGeorge's preferences in this regard. He is a former Marine and Secret Service specialist who offers seminars on "weaponization of chemical and biological agents" for $595 a session. Since 1983, he's run his own firm, Public Safety Group Inc., which sells bioterror products to governments.

In the New York Post the next day Aly Sujo fleshed out some useful details, including news that Black Rose offers a forum for "different expressions of power in love and play," including "bondage and discipline, fetishism and cross-dressing," also that the 53-year-old McGeorge is "chubby."

"While it was unclear," Sujo wrote solemnly, "whether his experience in dominance and submission might be useful in probing Saddam's arsenal, his group's Web site listed a number of salty approaches for 'coming on to the person you want to know.'" Full marks to Sujo for deft placement of the word "arsenal," but the Daily News went one better with its headline, "World body not turned off by arms inspector's S&M," also by Derek Rose's discovery that McGeorge "also lacks a specialized university degree?although he was once honored with a 'doctor of S&M arts and letters' from 'Leather University.'" Rose cited more from McGeorge-related websites. The former chairman of the board of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom has worked to safeguard the rights of the "'SM-leather-fetish, swing and polyamory communities,' and as a member of the 'faculty' of a three-day 'Leather University' conference in Florida taught the basics of rope bondage and more. Other classes included 'Bloodsports 101,' 'Flagellation 201' and 'Pervitibles 101,'" according to the Daily News.

McGeorge went to ground, after telling The Washington Post that "I am who I am. I am not ashamed of who I am?not one bit." Amid the uproar after Grimaldi's initial story, Blix stood by his man and said he had spurned a resignation offer from McGeorge. The UN said all inspectors had been briefed on local cultural practices in Iraq, which of course do include state-sponsored torture in that nation's prisons.

In England, home port for spankers, the McGeorge stories were swiftly stigmatized as efforts to sabotage Blix's mission. Last Friday's Guardian headlined its story "UN team faces smear campaign," with a story by Suzanne Goldenberg to the effect that the BDSM stuff "provides a convenient target for critics of Mr. Blix, particularly aggrieved former inspectors. They say he has overlooked potentially qualified experts by requiring applicants to quit their government jobs before applying. There are also fears that some members of the teams are from private industry, and will use the mission to garner media attention and sell their products."

Kim Sengupta in Baghdad reported to the London-based Independent that a Foreign Ministry official had said, "It is very disturbing that the Americans have put forward someone like this. Apart from his strange sexual life, he does not have the academic qualification for these complex issues. And he is also a former member of their Secret Service. How many other of these types are they getting into the UN mission?"

The British tabs seized the story with relish. "UN EXPERT RAN SEX RING" shouted the Sunday Mail.

Meanwhile the BDSM community rallied around their man. The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom issued a "call to action" urging sympathizers to "Please support the SM community and Jack McGeorge by dropping a note to the various news agencies covering this story. McGeorge's sexuality is a personal issue and should have no bearing on his qualifications for any job." Suggested text for the protest note: "It is irresponsible for a news organization like The Washington Post to attempt to discredit Jack McGeorge as a weapons inspector simply because of his sexuality. Many millions of Americans engage in SM according to a 1990 Kinsey Institute report. These people are doctors, lawyers, teachers, and news reporters, as well as professionals like Jack McGeorge.

"As a former Chairman of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, McGeorge ably assisted our national advocacy organization in fighting this sort of discrimination and persecution. McGeorge has also volunteered his valuable time to educate adults about safe, sane and consensual sexual expression."

The NCSF bulletin noted helpfully that letters to the press are "an effective way to convey a positive image of alternate sexual practices such as SM, swinging, or polyamory. You can help to correct negative social myths and misconceptions about these types of practices."

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom does have its critics. Bill Dobbs of Queerwatch remarked to me Monday that "NCSF has often acted in an opportunistic and unprincipled manner, typically slamming those more marginalized or under great pressure in the pursuit of respectability for itself."

Of course, the s&m-leather-fetish crowd, or community, suffers all kinds of discrimination and oppression, and NCSF deserves credit for gathering people together to advance sexual pleasure. That said, Dobbs argues that the tactics and strategy of the group merit consideration and reveal something of the political values and character of those in command, like Jack McGeorge.

It seems that on McGeorge's watch NCSF came to the defense of some "dungeon parties" held on a regular basis in Baltimore. Baltimore zoning and other authorities were bringing the wrathful law down on the party promoters. NCSF's defense? Why bother these parties, they are nothing like the topless or strip clubs in Baltimore that the law was written for. So here was NCSF trying to paint itself as "good" at the expense of others that it would paint as "bad." Topless bars and strip clubs are an endangered species across the country, so why drag them into the mess?

Then, again on McGeorge's watch, NCSF waded into a Pennsylvania case where a scoutmaster faced very serious charges in connection with some hazing of Boy Scouts under his charge. State police accused John T. Levendosky, 52, of hanging the boys from trees by their bound hands and carving the letter "T" into their chests with a knife, telling them it stood for "trust and training." Police said Levendosky did not sexually assault the boys?aged 11, 12 and 13?but made them play several sadomasochistic games during their private overnight trip near Derry, 50 miles east of Pittsburgh. The cops said they raided his home and found sadomasochistic pornography.

Levendosky "admitted to having always been fascinated with bondage and servitude and stated that he just wanted to see how people react in these situations," the police report said.

Once again, what did NCSF gain by its opportunistic tactic in calling for the scoutmaster to be put through the wringer? Given a situation with two minors, an adult authority figure, s&m and homosexual overtones, what prosecutor in the country needed to be nudged to throw the book at the guy?

"I cannot support NCSF," Dobbs recently wrote to the organization, "and wish it would recognize the perils of seeking respectability at the expense of vulnerable individuals and groups... In many cases your group does harm. All this is sad because the core constituencies you do serve, those who engage in BDSM have historically been unorganized and need to get politically active."

Well, that puts another perspective on McGeorge, doesn't it? Flay him not for his tastes, but for his political cowardice in defending those tastes.

And for political courage, let us hail a group of youths who "have an interest in BDSM"?a Girl Scout Gold Award project. The organizers are firmly to the left of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, since NCSF is always making a point of fighting for adults-only sexual freedom.

This news comes courtesy of Lavender magazine of Minneapolis, MN. Queer Youth Exist was created by two high school students as "an education and safety group for youth under the age of 21 who have an interest in BDSM, fetishism, or any queer or alternative culture. Queer Youth Exist was started by Hedge (a senior) and Katze (a junior). Both are also Girl Scouts (Hedge has been a Girl Scout for 13 years), and this is their Girl Scout Gold Award project." You may not know this, but a "Gold Award is the highest honor for a Girl Scout?the equivalent of becoming an Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts." Over to Katze, as quoted in Lavender mag: "We're trying to make youth be less of a threat to the adult community?we know how to act appropriately."

Both Hedge and Katze see BDSM and fetish culture as alluring to the younger crowd. "They're attracted to the young goth BDSM culture?to the shiny clothes, attractive people, great music, and club nights," claims Katze. "It's a fun culture, and people want to be part of it even if they don't practice BDSM. They want to separate themselves from the Abercrombie and Fitch jock crowd?they want to be with older people who are in their culture scene."

We'll probably have a presidential candidate 40 years down the road saying that as a kid in the Twin Cities she "experimented with BDSM" and it was first-class training in the art of firm government.