NEW YORK – Fox News, that bastion of conservatism and all things socially intolerant, might deserve another look when it comes to frank talk about alternative sexuality. In fact, if the country isn’t careful alternative sex could quickly become conservative sex if Fox’s resident Sexpert, Dr. Yvonne K. Fulbright (pictured) doesn’t stop talking about sadomasochism like it’s the best thing since ice cream.

Sure, it’s Sex in the City safe but recently Fox has been pushing the envelope a bit harder, revealing a decidedly libertarian bent about some normel blushers for the mainstream, like surrogate sex counseling and now S&M.

In her FOXsexpert column today, the author, sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc., actually walks the walk in writing about Understanding S&M, even if she does try to set aside the hard stuff from the get-go.

“For many, the term ‘sadomasochism’ (S&M) conjures up images of whips, chains and leather. It seems like an underworld of incomprehensible eroticism. How can pain can be pleasurable,” she begins her column. “Believe it or not, S&M is all around us in the mildest forms. You don’t have to go to an S&M club to find it. For example, radio stations regularly play songs that hint at S&M.”

She then references a few pop lyrics, making the point that the idea of sexual submission and dominance is a common sub-text of accepted cultural mores, and then she sugues into the good stuff, the bullet-point reason why people people are “enticed” by sado-masochistic sex play.

• The opportunity for self-exploration, including learning one’s limits;
• Personal freedom and heightened sexual release;
• Feelings of being desired;
• The opportunity for greater connection and intimacy;
• The possibility of out-of-body sex.

There is a lot more in the column about the defining limits and pleasures of the S&M, or BDSM, lifestyle, including some basic ground rules participants should establish before pushing their normal boundaries, such as:

• Negotiation: The submissive should always discuss his or her needs, wants and limits with the dominant beforehand;
• Having a safe word: A memorable word should be chosen by the participants so that if physically or psychologically distressed, the word acts as a red light when called out to halt all activity;
• Talking about what’s going to happen so that you know each other’s boundaries and what is being consented to;
• Educating yourselves about certain S&M practices before trying them. Read a good book, surf the Internet or check out an S&M workshop in your area that can you get started safely.

While child’s play for the true BDSM practitioner, this is all pretty heady stuff for your average novice, and probably does as much or more than the proliferation of BDSM and other alternative pornography to move the boundaries of cultural acceptance forward.