David M. Ortmann

David Ortmann was first published at age twenty-five, his critically acclaimed essay “Hearing Voices” appearing in TELLING TALES OUT OF SCHOOL (Alyson 1998, ed. K. Jennings). In it, Ortmann revealed a few slivers of the traumatic abuse he survived as a queer kid growing up in 1980s New Jersey. Ortmann’s groundbreaking first book, SEXUAL OUTSIDERS: UNDERSTANDING BDSM SEXUALITIES AND COMMUNITIES (co-authored with Richard Sprott, PhD.), was published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2013. His chapter on Sex, Erotic Powerplay, and Kink debuts in PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF SEX THERAPY, Edition 6 (Guilford, 2020, ed. K. Hall and Y. Binik). His chapter is the first to address this provocative, salient topic in the 50-year history of the book. Ortmann’s writings have appeared in fiction and non-fiction anthologies, journals and magazines; he is the go-to expert for au courant journalists seeking inimitable, practical and straight-forward advice on human sexuality and relationships. His expert opinions have appeared in over fifty magazines, journals, radio shows, podcasts, and television. Ortmann is a licensed sex therapist, psychotherapist, educator, activist, and speaker. He divides his time between San Francisco and Manhattan where he maintains private psychotherapy and sex therapy practices. His debut novel, UNDER THE BOARDWALK, is forthcoming and he is at work on his second novel, STILL LIFE. “I love animals of all kinds (humans included), sleeping, and getting lost on long walks through Central Park.”