Fictional ‘world’ created by John Norman which is explored in a series of 25 science fiction novels. Picked up by a few people with creative imagination, the books concepts have become a branched off lifestyle associated with BDSM. The author, of course, did not intend for this particular off shoot. 70’s acid trips that fueled this phenomenon?

While I, do not, by any means claim to have endless stores of information on this particular subject, I can comment on what I have seen and know.
Ask anyone that participates in the lifestyle as a Free Person (Dominant) and they will tell you that Gor is about honor, integrity and that it is harsh. They often look down on traditional BDSMers for their frank interest in the (BDSM) lifestyle for purely sexual interest. Gor to them is more, much more, the complete ownership of a slave, the brotherhood they have with one another and frankly, random book references.

I don’t pretend to have a favorable opinion on the whole event. I fail to see where using Tal, kolar and other book derived phrases is any different than a Trekie speaking Klingon. Only this way, the Klingon is carrying a whip and likes to be called Master. It is a fantasy world, where all men, no matter their skill or ability to carry themselves are Masters of the universe. The women, who, by Gor standards, are all inherantly submissive no matter their status, are judged by a much harsher eye. Free Women, the less powerful equivelent of a BDSM Domme, are expected to be neutral, exhibit a motherly nature and be totally free of any sexual desires (at least in public). The slaves go so far as to be classified by the color of their silk, which everyone is expected to know. I don’t know how many their are, at the moment I can only recall seeing 3, but there is likely more.

Its blanket nature is really the problem I have with the lifestyle. Men are all men, women are all slaves or want to be slaves deep down and they don’t allow for the natural growth of personality outside of those boundaries. A ‘true’ Gor male, is not bisexual, not gay and most certainly, not a boy (slave). A true Gor female is expected to be pure sex, and obviously perfect (according to their descriptions of lush, creamy flesh etc) - unless they wear modest clothing which turns them into a nearly picture perfect Stepford wife, without the amazing sex, and considerably more motherly, however.

They look down on those that vary. Which means, for the most part, anything outside of the group thought is done in private.
If being ‘Gorean’ is about honor….How honorable is that?

The brotherhood/friendship however, is intriguing. The men, at least those in the lifestyle for any time, seem to be close. Whereas in BDSM the Dom/mes tend to place everything on a competition level and rarely speak to one another if the two have an interest in the same person, the Gorean male tends to take a less competitive edge to things. Perhaps more open to imput from one another rather than from submissive to submissive. This approach does tend to take some of the power away from the submissive/slave who in a BDSM world, rule over the weak, with their sharp tongues.

There are people that go back and forth between the two ‘worlds.’ I just can’t get past the flaws in the concept to do so. While it has its good points, it is overwhelmingly overcome by its bad side.