BDSM (Bondage, Dominance, Sadism, Masochism) practices, while incorporating elements of risk and power negotiation, are predicated on consent. Drawing on theories of sexual communication and competence, this qualitative study gathered in-depth interviews with 13 participants who self-identified as a practitioner to analyze the emergent themes in BDSM-related consent conversations. The analysis followed an iterative approach, finding that participants described competent consent communication as communication that is: (1) transparent, (2) continuous, and (3) adaptive. The results may inform other boundary-pertinent situations, such as crafting sexual assault legislation and providing guidance to non- BDSM relationships. Additionally, results indicated the value of consent competence to participants while complicating our notion of meaningful consent. While consent has been described as adequate so long as it is affirmative, meaningful consent considers the identities, power, and external circumstances that affect the state of one’s consent.
