"The Eunuch Maker" trial ongoing. That is quite interesting, don't remember reading similar things from UK since the infamous 90's s/m trials. Of course, now it has been vastly more brutal things made than in 90's cases. Perhaps sign of changed times is that now emphasis is less about it being gay subculture. That is almost unmentioned, ties to gender activism almost hidden. While in the 90's, I recall trials were really the hunt for odd sexual minorities?
I recall when MODCON book came out in 2002, they advertised that better order soon, since they have no idea if it is legal or not. Apparently, no problems emerged of it, and even 2nd print was made in print-on-demand service.
Original editor Shannon Laratt died already decade ago, and long before that there was some dispute of ownership of BME. Curiously site claims never had content removed, nor any legal action taken against it, only little pressure. While body modification ezine was for whatever little piercings or tattoos someone wanted to post and there was the restricted adult area with all the castration and amputees and whatever. Laratt appeared in lots of "regular" media and I guess the late 90's tattoo/piercing/body modification stuff was something you got exposed to in underground anyways, regardless if you were doing it. Just that same sources where you got other subcultural weird stuff, had this covered too. There is some controversies that german state went against bme due some of videos went viral at the time, among the youth. hah. Quite sure some will remember the low res "pain olympics" videos circulating just for the shocks. I don't know if they changed it over the years, but back when the "community" started, there was all these goth girls posting sweet nose piercing and tribal tattoo pics, and due being "content makers", they were granted free pass for heavy area too. I would guess that a lot of people who were not perhaps "meant to see" stuff that deranged, could access.
Book is still good document of early formation of the new "scene" that was different of how body modification had been before.
https://www.abebooks.com/ModCon-Secret-World-Extreme-Body-Modification/31316802935/bdQuoteIn May of 1999 members of the heavy modification set made their way from around the world to attend an event that was to become infamous. They came from as far away as Japan and varied in age from eighteen to their early seventies. No matter how far they travelled or what age they were this would be the first time for most to be surrounded by this many people with a shared interest - extreme body modification. Practitioners and participants who have dedicated their bodies and lives to fields such as tattooing, branding, implants, subincision, amputation, castration, scarification, nullification... this event was only for the serious and as such it was invite only. It goes without saying, none of those invites were too media. "ModCon: The Secret World of Extreme Body Modification" is the first peak for most into this most secretive of worlds. It is the culmination of three ModCon events held over a three-year period and documented by its organizer, Shannon Larratt. A life long contributor to the community and publisher of BMEzine.com, Shannon is the world's foremost authority on the subject of extreme body modification. As well as containing comprehensive and informative information on the subject, "ModCon: The Secret World of Extreme Body Modification" also contains stunning images by photographer Phillip Barbosa whose contributions to the community include a complete visual documentation of every ModCon event as well as helping organize the I Was Cured suspension group in Toronto, Canada.
