Source: Protestia.com
USA – Rev. Beatrix Weil, an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and chaplain at Rhodes College, a 2,000-student liberal arts institution affiliated with the PCUSA, sparked controversy in 2023 after attempting to host a BDSM 101 workshop on campus. The event, which was to feature a local dominatrix who would “share wisdom on how to safely, sanely, and consensually learn about bondage, discipline/domination, sadism/submission, and masochism,” was canceled following public outcry.
The BDSM workshop wasn’t a one-off. Days prior, she hosted the same dominatrix for a seminar titled “Let’s Talk About Sex,” which proceeded without cancellation.
At the time, a Rhodes College spokesperson addressed the canceled workshop, stating, “The proposed event was canceled Friday as soon as it came to our attention…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.”
Despite the controversy, Weil’s career has continued to flourish. In 2024, she was named “Chaplain of the Year” by the Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education, an organization representing over 150 colleges and universities.
Two months ago, she also received the “Outstanding Professional Award” from the Spirituality and Religion in Higher Education Knowledge Community of NASPA, the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.
According to a Rhodes College news story, the NASPA award recognizes a chaplain who has “devoted time and energy and made great professional contributions to the promotion of spirituality and religion on their campus.”
