I came across Bob’s writing at a sensitive time in my evolution as as a Dominatrix. It was the 90’s. S&M was just starting to peek it’s head into the mainstream, with artists like Madonna, Nine In Nails and Marilyn Manson glorifying images that had previously been secret. Medical fetishism, being one of the darkest of those secrets. The racy images on MTV were titillating, but they certainly didn’t absolve me of my Jewish guilt. But Bob Flanagan did.

For those of you who don’t know, Bob Flanagan suffered from Cystic Fibrosis. This debilitating and fatal illness caused him to ostensibly grow up in hospital, where he sexualized his treatments as a coping mechanism, eventually becoming a “Super Masochist”. Bob was also the longest living person with Cystic Fibrosis at that time. He lived to be 43 at a time when most didn’t live past 30, and more importantly, he attributed his long life to his extreme S&M practices.

So, no history of Medical Fetishism would be complete without a discussion of the life and work of Bob Flanagan and his partner in crime, Mistress, and wife, photographer Sheree Rose. The class will start with a brief oral history followed be a viewing of the movie “Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan followed by a Q&A with Sheree herself. Join us for an interesting and thought provoking discussion that will make you see “sickness” in a different way.

Admission is 35 in advance, 45 day of and is included int the tuition to our Medical School Weekend Immersion