ABSTRACT
The word pervert has a long history of use as a diagnosis, a slur and a way to marginalise and condemn those with sexual interests deviating from the norm. To be classified as a pervert is to be inextricably linked to the darker, dirtier and more commonly repressed aspects of sexuality. That the word still carries such negative connotations in a culture where fringe sexual practices and deviant sexualities are mainstreamed, and notably even commodified, is a paradox.
