07/11/2025
LGBTQIA+ Magazine Instinct has broadly welcomed legislation from the UK's Labour government which will place a heavy ban on depictions of choking and other strangulation type material online. Although the regulation of the internet is a very difficult thing to achieve, the UK's proposed new laws, have been welcomed by a wide variety of groups. Instinct magazine said "a BBC survey found that nearly 38% of women aged 18–39 reported being choked during sex. For many activists, that statistic alone underscores how deeply this form of violence has been sexualized—and how urgently reform is needed. For queer readers and allies, the issue resonates beyond gender lines. This is about the kind of culture we’re building online—one where pleasure and consent are clear, not blurred by harm disguised as passion." Yet not everyone is convinced. Fiona Mackenzie, founder of the anti-BDSM advocacy group We Can’t Consent To This, argued that similar laws already exist but have rarely been enforced. “Until we see otherwise, I don’t believe that any new law will actually be enforced,” she said. We wondered whether groups that advocate safer sex play in the BDSM sphere, often as part of the queer scene, would have something to say about the new laws. So far, neither SM Gays nor SM Dykes have released a statement.
