Thomas Vance
Founder, American BDSM
Founder of American BDSM and a practitioner and educator in the alternative lifestyle space for nearly two decades.
“I didn't build American BDSM to create another directory. I built it to give affluent, mature and discerning adults a private, premium room where they don't have to explain the basics. Safety isn't a marketing checkbox here, it is the entire infrastructure.”
Building a room that didn't exist
Thomas Vance is the founder and visionary architect behind American BDSM. An experienced practitioner and educator within the advanced relationship protocol space for nearly two decades, Thomas bridges the gap between traditional power dynamics and modern digital discretion.
Before dedicating his time to community-building in the alternative sector, Thomas operated in high-performance corporate environments, giving him a firsthand understanding of why absolute privacy and data discretion are non-negotiable for affluent professionals.
As a Dominant, his philosophy is rooted strictly in Safe, Sane, Consensual (SSC) principles, continuous education, and the fundamental importance of impeccable aftercare. When he isn't advising on platform safety architecture, he can be found conducting invite-only rope workshops, exploring avant-garde architecture, or writing sharp, plain-English guides to navigating power dynamics with intent.
He brings an uncompromising standard of safety, and a healthy dose of dry wit, to the American BDSM network.
Read Thomas's guides
Plain-English articles on power exchange, safety and discretion.
See all articles