S&M

S&M stands for sadism and masochism, and it refers to consensual sexual practices built around giving and receiving pain, domination, or intensity for erotic pleasure. The sadist role tends to give sensation or control, and the masochist role tends to receive it, though people often switch. S&M is the S/M part of the broader BDSM initialism and has deep roots in LGBTQ+ leather and kink communities. When practiced with informed consent, negotiated limits, safewords, and open communication, it is recognized as a healthy form of sexual expression. Both the DSM-5 and ICD-11 now distinguish consensual sadomasochism from non-consensual sexual violence and treat it as non-pathological.