Perversion

Perversion is a derogatory term for deviation from the original meaning or doctrine, literally 'turning aside' from what is perceived to be orthodox or normal. A pervert is a person in a state of perversion. By apocopation a 'pervert' becomes a 'perv'. These terms have two common usages:

It often refers to "sexual perversion", more neutrally and medically called a paraphilia.
The term perversion was also used in the pre-Vatican II era by some Roman Catholics to describe the process of converting from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism. Whereas a protestant who joined Roman Catholicism was described as a "convert", a Catholic who became a Protestant was called a "pervert". The phrase is no longer used by mainstream Catholicism, though a small conservative fringe do still use it on occasion.

The verb form of the term, in conventional use, simply means to turn something away from its natural state (or what is perceived to be its natural state.) For example, one might say that the modern film version of "Romeo & Juliet" "perverted" the story.

Within the BDSM community the term pervert has few if any negative connotations. It is often used ironically in repossession of the term by its objects. So, a BDSM participant might greet another by saying, 'How ya doing, you perv, you?!" This usage change pattern is similar to that used when homosexuals took back the word queer, beginning about 25 years ago.

(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the Perversion article in Wipipedia.)

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