Feature Mistress Marley, Founder and Leader of the Black Dommes Sorority By Damica Feliciano When Mistress Marley first became a professional Dominatrix, a role dedicated to leading and controlling sessions with clients involving erotic acts, in 2017, the field was filled with predominantly white dominatrixes who refused to support or build networks with others, especially towards people of color. It was then that Mistress Marley realized that there were very few spaces for Black and Brown dominatrixes in the Bondage, Dominance, Submission/Sadism, and Masochism (BDSM) community. “When I first started out, I had no one to help me,” she said in Google Meets interview with The Intersectionalist. “I would reach out to other Doms who were mostly white or non-POC. They would be very rude to me, wouldn’t want to help me, would ignore me even when I was tipping them.” Mistress Marley learned everything on her own without the guidance or help from others. And now that she’s approaching four years as a Dominatrix from New York City, skilled in sex work education and mentorship, she’s sharing
her experiences with others. Her knowledge is creating spaces for Black and Brown Doms and sex workers in an effort to advocate for their rights and protection. “Starting out, it was really hard. There were times where I logged off my computer and felt like shit for the rest of the day,” she said. “That’s why now I’m so big on mentoring now and trying to let people know or at least try to warn them that ‘Hey, this is something you’ll possibly face.’” In July 2019, Mistress Marley created the Black Domme Sorority, a space on Facebook for Black and Brown Dom newbies and veterans alike, a community that can feel empowered by their dominance. The small group quickly grew from a couple of her close friends to 1,000 members and 70 inductees as of December 2020. The rapid growth moved the group from Facebook to Patreon as a way to introduce genuine membership. Part of what Mistress Marley emphasizes in her mentorships is taking up space unapologetically. “It means putting my foot down, protecting those that can’t protect themselves, and having a voice
for those that don’t have their own. Dominance doesn’t always mean being mean or angry or controlling—it could be positive and showing up for people in ways you want them to show up for you,” she said. “My thing was always I never want another Black or AfroLatinx Dom to have to go through being alone.” For Mistress Marley, Black Domme Sorority is a sibling-hood because they also have trans-identifying and non-binary identifying members. They also offer an emergency fund for members in need and a close knit community. “You can come to any hour of the day and ask a question—someone will be there for you,” Mistress Marley said. “A lot of people come into this work with no confidence or things in their past that may have made them feel a way about themselves—just hearing them say they now have confidence is the most rewarding thing to me.” On top of being a professional findom and founder of the Black Domme Sorority, Mistress Marley also leads a series of sex education courses on Patreon called
