Author

Charles Moser

United States · b. 1952

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Charles Allen Moser is an American physician, clinical sexologist, researcher, educator, and one of the most influential scientific voices in the modern study of consensual BDSM and sexual diversity. Trained initially in physics before earning degrees in social work, human sexuality, and medicine, Moser has built a uniquely interdisciplinary career that combines neuroscience, medicine, psychology, psychotherapy, and sexology. He received a B.S. in Physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, an M.S.W. from the University of Washington, a Ph.D. in Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, and an M.D. from Hahnemann University (now Drexel University College of Medicine). Throughout his career, Moser has worked as a psychotherapist, physician, researcher, educator, and expert witness, specialising in sexual medicine, diverse sexualities, gender, HIV medicine, and human sexual behaviour. He served for many years as Professor of Sexology and Chair of the Department of Sexual Medicine at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality and is currently President of the Diverse Sexualities Research and Education Institute (DSREI), where he continues to promote evidence-based research and education on human sexuality. His clinical practice focuses exclusively on Sexual Medicine, integrating medical, psychological, and relational aspects of sexual health. Moser is widely recognised for his pioneering work challenging the historical classification of consensual BDSM as a psychiatric disorder. Through decades of clinical practice, scientific research, and academic publication, he has consistently argued that consensual sadomasochism represents a normal variation of human sexual expression rather than a manifestation of psychopathology. His publications have contributed significantly to the gradual depathologisation of BDSM within medicine and psychology, helping shape contemporary discussions surrounding consent, sexual diversity, and human rights. He has authored, co-authored, or edited more than ninety scientific papers and books, including *Bound to Be Free: The SM Experience*, *Healthcare Without Shame*, and numerous peer-reviewed articles on BDSM, paraphilias, transgender health, sexual medicine, and clinical sexology. His work consistently combines scientific rigour with respect for the lived experiences of diverse sexual communities, advocating dialogue between researchers, healthcare professionals, and practitioners rather than judgment or stigma. Within *The Library of The Cellars*, Charles Moser is preserved as one of the architects of contemporary BDSM scholarship. His greatest contribution lies not simply in researching consensual power exchange, but in helping transform the scientific conversation surrounding it. By replacing moral judgement with empirical evidence, and pathology with informed understanding, Moser helped establish a foundation upon which much of today's academic literature on BDSM, sexual diversity, and consensual alternative relationships continues to build.