Rhodes College chaplain sparks backlash after organizing BDSM workshop for students with local domanatrix

A Tennessee college chaplain was slapped down for attempting to organize a 'BDSM 101' workshop for students, complete with a chance to ask questions of a local dominatrix.

Rev. Beatrix Weil is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church who serves as the chaplain of Rhodes College in Memphis. 

Rhodes, a private liberal arts college historically affiliated with the Presbyterian faith, is home to about 2,000 students. Weil works as a faith adviser across multiple religions on campus.

The chaplain - who holds many events attempting to combine faith with progressive social and racial politics - put out a flier to promote the BDSM-themed event. 

'Chaplain Beatrix will host a local dominatrix to share wisdom on how to safely, sanely, and consensually learn about bondage, discipline/domination, sadism/submission, and masochism,' it said.

BDSM is an acronym for a combination of sex with bondage and discipline, dominance and submission and sadism and masochism. 

According to National Review, Weil had held a seminar called 'Let's Talk About Sex' with the same dominatrix days earlier.  

Conservative talk host Todd Starnes wrote critically about the event for Newsmax, calling it part of a change in culture at Rhodes leading it to becoming the 'Berkley of the South.'  

'There's no doubt Rhodes College is Presbyterian in name only, but by golly they sure did nail the doctrine of total depravity,' he wrote, noting that donors were considering pulling their funding.

In a statement on November 10, the school announced that the event would not be going forward. 

'The proposed event was cancelled Friday as soon as it came to our attention,' a spokesperson for Rhodes said. 

'The event was not vetted through appropriate approval channels. No such event is planned for our campus. We recognize we need to do some work on our event approval processes, so we are reviewing that and will make changes as appropriate.' 

A student who helped plan the seminar, speaking anonymously to the Commercial Appeal, said there was no harm in the event. 

'I just don't see what the big issue is,' she said. 'We're all adults, this is a college campus. It's supposed to be a place where you can reach out and learn new things.'

Mike Edwards, a class of 1979 Rhodes alum, however, thought it was a foolish idea, especially on school grounds.

''It really comes down to, not that the workshop was taking place, even though that seems way outside the norm of what we, as adults would normally say was appropriate,' he said. 

'The real thing is, it's a chaplain, from the school, on school property.' 

The senior who helped Weil plan the event believes that were she to face on consequences or even firing for trying to hold the event, she would be backed by the student population.

'There would be a huge outcry,' the senior said. 'She, really, is probably the most beloved faculty member on Rhodes campus.' 

Weil has yet to comment on the controversy publicly.