To defy the norms of North Carolina’s Bible-belting, sex-fearing majority is pure insanity. To do it wearing nothing but thin strips of electrical tape over your nipples is sexy.

It’s what we call Purgatory and it happened at Amos’ Southend on Saturday night. Crowds of fetish-loving Charlotteans, including myself, gathered in lingerie and less to see the promised displays of the forbidden fruits of public sexuality. In its 33rd appearance, Purgatory brought its most lethal ammo including the providers of pain — piercers, spankers and hair pullers.

Twigglet and Astrid Haven perform a risque adaptation of a classic film

Photo by Nikki Nefarious

I know that social norms are highly overrated, but Purgatory reminded me of how appealing the dangers of social disobedience can be. Women giving and receiving cunnilingus in open displays while being spanked from behind. As much as I felt that they deserved polite privacy, I suddenly experienced the most suspicious crank in my neck, preventing me from turning my head and removing them from my line of sight. My girlfriend, ever-so-coarsely, helped me remedy that. Beer-bellied patrons were trailed by deliciously busty women chained to them with handcuffs. It was a fair of spandex and sex- combined to make spansex.

The show brought unconventional ideas and notions to performance tangibility, and I was gravely overdressed in my sports bra and cargo shorts. Feeling upstaged, I stayed in the corners with the rest of the normal-looking freaks, suffering the ass-smacks and winks from strangers that I deserved. I also reviewed some of the vendors’ items. Jewelry. Eh, you could find that anywhere. What I sought was something daring and rare: dildoes. Clear ones, pink ones, twisted ones, straight ones and those with the little clit-massagers on top. Who’d o’ thunk it.

But here in North Cakilak where the word “sex” is enough to get one suspended from school, here we were making googly eyes with sex-slaves and pierced pussies.

Traditional Catholic ideas of Purgatory color it as a place where bad people go after a life of sin and non-repentance. My first Purgatory experience left me a little curious and even more mesmerized. Best believe that I’ll be back in October, wearing less and drinking more. More importantly, getting punished ‘cause I’ve been a bad, bad girl.

— Jesi Harris