Say NO! to Pay-2-Play Tantra Workshops
An Op-Ed from Dāka Karuṇā ( दाक करुणा ) Say NO! to the Carnival Sideshows! I recently reviewed a number of retreat and workshop offerings for gay men. The events ranged from NakedMan in Australia to events in Europe and the U.K., to events in the USA, such as the Easton Mountain retreat center in New York State. Based on what I could discern from the images and galleries, the events are generally stereotypical and reinforce negative stereotypes of a subgroup of gay men. For the most part, the events and workshops attracted a majority of middle-aged men with a smattering of 30-somethings. Many of the gallery images showed physically mature men engaging in regressive behaviors, that is, they appeared to be revisiting childhood rather than developing mature patterns of behavior. Some examples include, water activities riding pink swan blow-up floats, body painting, drag-queen performances. Some of the so-called spiritual programs featured men holding other men, which