Plenty of BDSM is about power, ritual, or sensation, with no sex in the scene.
What the research is about
Sex and Psychology takes up the question of whether BDSM is always sexual. The practical version: read the event type before you go.
Source: Is BDSM Always About Sex?, Sex and Psychology, March 17,
- Figures, samples, and methods are on that page.
How this shows up in public play
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A rope class may ban genital play.
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A play party may allow sex, or forbid it.
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Service and protocol can be the whole scene.
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Ask the host what the room is for. Do not guess from the word BDSM.