Robyn Friedman is a Criminal Defense Attorney currently residing in Seattle, Washington. She has been on staff with the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom since 2000, and from 2002 through 2005, she took on the position as the Director of the Legal Education Outreach Program. She has presented throughout the nation, and Canada, at several SM oriented conferences, such as LIL, Folsom Fringe, Kinkfest, Wicked Womyn, Tribal Fire, Family Ties, Thunder in the Mountains, and Sex Positive conferences such as The North American Conference on Bisexuality, The Evergreen Conference on Gender and Sexuality, Building Bridges and the National Swing Leadership Conference.

She is also a sadomasochist who loves to do incredibly mean things to incredibly nice people. While she enjoys fairly hard impact play, punching and kicking, her favorite activity is poking sharp things into soft flesh and finger painting with the results. For her needlework is a creative outlet, and she is blessed with many delightful and beautiful canvases to work on!

Bio current as of April 10, 2011

2011 Presentations:

Temporary Play Piercing 201
So, you now have an understanding of the basics, safety issues and mechanics of temporary play piercing, and you want to add a little zing to your scene. Come and join Robyn as she shares how she combines her love of putting sharp things into soft flesh with expressing her artistic and creative urges! This workshop will explore various ways to combine objects with needles to create a living work of art, as well as using surgical staples to enhance the end result. This will be a hands-on and interactive workshop, so if you have access to needles, bring them, as well as your own creative ideas and let's have some fun!

NCSF
SM and the Alleged Domestic Violence Call - It is important for SM-Leather-Fetish persons to have an understanding of the relationship between the SM community and law enforcement and of the numerous legal issues that can affect us - specifically the law enforcement response to an alleged domestic violence call. Once this is accomplished, we can constructively interact with law enforcement if the need arises. This presentation will focus on two aspects of this relationship - constructively dealing with officers and avoiding legal trouble. This workshop does not go in depth about the "cycle of abuse" or "real/actual" domestic violence, rather it is about consensual SM being misinterpreted as domestic violence by law enforcement.

2009 Presentations:

BUILD A PRETTY NEEDLE WORKSHOP
Release your inner Martha with Robyn as she shows you different ways to incorporate various objects and needles, so you too can turn your partners into walking pieces of art. Glue guns, and various objects such as feathers, beads, silk flowers and the like will be provided for you, and if you have stuff you think would work well, bring it with you and we will see what we can do! After you have created your beautiful needles, we will switch into "let's play!" mode, and use those decorated needles to decorate your partners, or anyone who wants to become art!

NCSF - The Alleged Domestic Violence Call -
It is important for SM-Leather-Fetish persons to have an understanding of the relationship between the SM community and law enforcement and of the numerous legal issues that can effect us - specifically the law enforcement response to an alleged domestic violence call. Once this is accomplished, we can constructively interact with law enforcement if the need arises. This presentation will focus on two aspects of this relationship - constructively dealing with officers and avoiding legal trouble. This workshop does not go in depth about the "cycle of abuse" or "real/actual" domestic violence, rather it is about consensual SM being misinterpreted as domestic violence by law enforcement.

NCSF – Life and Death Planning Issues for Alternative Relationships and Non-Traditional Family Structures -
The purpose of this presentation is to acquaint members of the alternative lifestyle communities with issues that may arise from the nature of their relationships both during life as well as in the event of death or disability. Many people are involved in dedicated relationships outside of the traditional man-woman 2.3 kids marriage. They acquire property together and incur liabilities together. They often fail to realize and acknowledge that sooner or later, be it by going their separate ways, or as a result of death or disability, each and every one of these relationships will end. The purpose of this presentation is to address some of the issues and problems that might be encountered, and give some guidance on how to prepare for them.

PLAY PIERCING 101 -
Does the thought of needles sliding beneath your skin make you shiver in delight and anticipation? Have you always been interested in play piercing, but a fear of needles has kept you saying no, even though you have wistfully watched another experience the incredible highs of this art? Have you ever wanted to pierce your partner, but were concerned about how to place the needles safely? If you answered yes to any of those questions, please join Robyn as she goes over the basics of play piercing, including safety issues, handling techniques, and various methods of needle placement. This is a hands on workshop, so if you have ever wanted to experience either getting pierced, or piercing another, here is an opportunity for you to do just that!

2008 Presentations:
PIERCING 101- Have you always been interested in play piercing, but a fear of needles has kept you saying no, even though you have wistfully watched another experience the incredible highs of this art? Have you ever wanted to pierce your partner, but were concerned about how to place the needles safely?

If you answered yes to either of those questions, please join Robyn as she goes over the basics of play piercing, including safety issues, handling techniques, and various methods of needle placement. This is a hands on workshop, so if you have ever wanted to experience either getting pierced, or piercing another, here is an opportunity for you to do just that!

PIERCING 201-DECORATIVE PIERCING - Does the thought of turning your partner into a beautiful work of art give you warm happy thoughts? So, you have learned how to do basic temporary piercing, but you want to kick it up a notch, what to do? Join Robyn as she shows you various techniques for adding a little kick to your temporary piercing scenes. She will show you how to turn regular needles into paintbrushes that turn your bottom a walking piece of art.

NCSF- LIFE AND DEATH PLANNING FOR ALTERNATIVE RELATIONSHIPS - The purpose of this presentation is to acquaint members of the alternative lifestyle communities with issues that may arise from the nature of their relationships both during life as well as in the event of death or disability. Many people are involved in dedicated relationships outside of the traditional man-woman 2.3 kids marriage. They acquire property together and incur liabilities together. They often fail to realize and acknowledge that sooner or later, be it by going their separate ways, or as a result of death or disability, each and every one of these relationships will end. The purpose of this presentation is to address some of the issues and problems that might be encountered, and give some guidance on how to prepare for them.

This presentation will also include a discussion on BDSM and children, and what parents involved in BDSM should know based on my experiences as an attorney who has handled several child custody battles when BDSM was an issue.

2004 Presentations:
Protecting Yourself Legally
Legal Education Outreach Program - "Members of the SM/leather/fetish communities have always had some level of concern regarding the issues of privacy, discretion, and personal security. The Radical Right, employers, ex-partners, and others may pose threats to these concepts. Many times their motivation comes from ignorance, but new motivations like custody of children, and revenge are also becoming commonplace. This presentation provides tips for protecting yourself legally for various circumstances."

Play Piercing Workshop - Does the thought of needles sliding beneath your skin make you shiver in delight and anticipation? Does the thought of turning your partner into a beautiful work of art give you warm happy thoughts? Have you always been interested in play piercing, but a fear of needles has kept you saying no, even though you have wistfully watched another experience the incredible highs of this art? Have you ever wanted to pierce your partner, but were concerned about how to place the needles safely? If you answered yes to any of those questions, please join Robyn as she goes over the basics of play piercing, including safety issues, handling techniques, and various methods of needle placement. This is a hands on workshop, so if you have ever wanted to experience either getting pierced, or piercing another, here is an opportunity for you to do just that!

2003 Presentations:
NCSF – SM, the Law, and Group Issues - It is important for SM-Leather-Fetish groups to have an understanding of the relationship between the SM community, and law enforcement and of the numerous legalities that can affect their group functions. Once this is accomplished, the group can dispel myths, educate its members, and constructively interact with law enforcement as the need arises. This presentation will focus on the following aspects: (1) interacting with local law enforcement, (2) avoiding legal trouble, (3) group considerations, and (4) protecting your event.

Decorative Play Piercing Workshop - Come and join Robyn as she shares how she combines her love of putting sharp things into soft flesh with expressing her artistic and creative urges! This workshop will explore various ways to combine objects with needles to create a living work of art. This will be a hands-on and interactive workshop, so if you have access to needles, bring them, as well as your own creative ideas and let’s have some fun! NOTE: This is an intermediate level workshop, where a basic working knowledge and some experience of temporary piercing is assumed.