A Gorean Lifestyle

Have you read anything from John Norman?

Would it surprise you to find out that there is a subculture of erotic followers from his novels?

Me too! That is, until I started doing a little research into the Gorean lifestyle.

John Norman is a science fiction writer who created the Gor lifestyle through his books perhaps inadvertently. There is little proof that he participates in these acts or even condones the acts themselves. His novels include erotic sex, dominance, slavery, bondage, beatings, etc. (All the things an erotica novelist like myself wants in a "pushing the boundaries" kind of book.)

Gor's tend to be jumbled in with the BDSM crowd, which is understandable, but incorrect nonetheless. Gor's and BDSMers may have perceptions that are the same; Gorean seems to be a quasi-religious lifestyle while BDSM is more of a sexual lifestyle. BDSM concepts of servitude and slavery are important in the Gorean style. Most Gor's do not own their consensual slaves and slavery is not required in order to practice Gorean. Gor's do not label themselves or consider themselves part of BDSM. They reject most ideas of isolated sex 'scenes' and instead they follow their guidelines throughout their daily lives, at all times, at home, work, or socially. Gor's follow stricter dominance and submission standards with total power exchange relationships.

Males tend to be the dominants, more so than females in the Gorean style. Females are not forbidden to do so. It is their belief that males have a predisposition to be more dominant and females submissive. Male dominance is part of the "natural order" belief system.

This is so interesting to me as a writer that I have decided to include the Gorean Morality into one of my "pushing the boundaries" erotica books.