The Practice We Inherited

In honor of Pride Month, I’ve been thinking more about the knowledge, conversations, and experiences that shaped the way FF is understood today.

Now more than ever, there is an incredible amount of information available. People can learn about preparation, communication, safety, pacing, positioning, anatomy, and recovery with a few clicks. Most of us take that for granted.

But every now and then I find myself wondering where all of that information came from.

The exact history of fisting is difficult to pin down. Human beings have likely been exploring experiences like these for far longer than any of us can confidently document.

What seems easier to trace is the knowledge that circulated through queer communities during and after the HIV/AIDS crisis. As people searched for ways to navigate pleasure more safely, conversations evolved. Information was shared, practices adapted, and over time, a body of knowledge began to grow.

Somewhere along the way, people learned lessons through experience and passed those lessons on to others. Friends shared advice. Communities exchanged information. People found ways to make the experience safer, more enjoyable, and more accessible for those who came after them.

Eventually those conversations became culture.

When people think about Pride, they often think about visibility, rights, and acceptance. Those things matter enormously. But I also find myself thinking about the quieter inheritances that communities pass down to one another: the knowledge we preserve, the stories we tell, and the things we learn from people who came before us.

The longer I do this work, the more I realize that much of what I teach isn't entirely mine. I'm participating in a tradition of shared knowledge. Much of what I know came from mentors, educators, community members, clients, and countless conversations over the years.

In many ways, that's what education is. Someone learns something valuable and decides not to keep it to themselves.

They share it.

And the path becomes a little easier for the next person.

I think that's something worth celebrating.

Happy Pride Month. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

—Danny 👊✨