>True enough. But I am curious as to why the concept of
>mental disturbance seems to end when we get to sexual
>relationships. We generally have no problem with
>calling certain forms of thought/behavior "disturbed"
>in other spheres of human activity. If someone, e.g,
>decorated his or her apartment with photos of
>dismboweled cats or Nazi concentration camp victims,
>or sends passionate love letters to celebrities they
>never met, or has a violent phobia about water, we
>would generally think that something was probably not
>OK with them psychologically. Why is sex the holy of
>holies where everything goes?
Practices don't necessarily have anything to do with mental health - it all depends on the context of the relationship. People can whip each other and still treat each other lovingly; people can engage in heteronormative missionary sex and treat each other awfully. What creeps you out isn't necessarily of ethical or legal interest, and may say more about you than it says about the practices.
Doug