Sex For Fun News

    Update: Repression in Coopersburg

US Swingers club closed

Based on an article from Morning Call

A tentative agreement has been reached to discontinue the operation of a sex club for swapping swingers in Coopersburg.

Bruce Young, co-owner of Coopersburg Holdings Inc., which owns Silhouette, said he hasn't seen the written agreement. But it's his understanding it will prohibit the strip bar from hosting future swingers events. In return, the borough will drop any zoning violations or penalties against the property owner.

Young added Club Kama Sutra hasn't held a party in Silhouette since late October.

Club Kama Sutra, a private sex club for swingers, began operating in the bar Sept. 2. For $60 a couple, it offered dancing, a light buffet and 12 hotel rooms for participants wishing to continue a more intimate form of private partying.

Borough Council determined the operation of a private, members-only club violates the zoning ordinance and directed their solicitors to pursue all legal remedies against it.

Update: Settled

The Coopersburg Zoning Hearing Board unanimously approved a settlement with a Coopersburg strip club that held sex parties for swingers, which borough officials said were illegal.

The club, Silhouette Showbar, agreed to never host such parties again in exchange for the borough forgiving its zoning violations.

    Never Ending Bliss

Swingers for free are free to continue

Based on an article from  Local 6

A couple has upset nutters in a Florida community by turning a rented riverside house into an adult swingers' club.

Police said they can't do anything about Never Ending Bliss, so long as nothing illegal happens there behind closed doors and between consenting adults.

Its operators received a "cease-and-desist" order from code enforcement, but stopped requesting a donation from patrons, which made it legal.

Within an hour they removed any requirement of paying money or paying dues, and the (Web) site has no advertising, city manager Joe Forte said. The city did what it could to investigate, but we determined there were no criminal violations.

Never Ending Bliss is described on a Web site as a very, very clean" private, invitation-only alternative-lifestyle club,

Matthew Early, who operates the club with his partner Nikki, said about 20 couples ranging in age from 21 to 75, meet on Friday and Saturday nights in the 3,800 square-foot place, which includes a dance floor with a pole."

    Lifestyle on TV

From AVN

ABC's Nightline on US TV is scheduled to broadcast a report on the business side of the swingers' group, the Lifestyles Organization on Thursday at 11:35 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Standard Time.

The network said the report will focus economic impact on the culture and travel industry of adult oriented tours, travel and other events as pioneered by the Lifestyles group.

Lifestyles founder and President, Robert McGinley, said: Lifestyles' understanding is that Nightline 's interest is not in the lifestyle itself but on the development of business serving the swing community."

    Swingapore

Based on an article from Brunei Direct

Every two months, dozens of couples meet in a pub in Singapore, have drinks, mingle, and then decide whether they want to sleep with one another.

The couples are part of a thriving underground swinging scene that is an anomaly for a country where oral sex is illegal and Playboy magazine is banned.

There are more than 10 swingers clubs in Singapore, most of them private, some of them online. With more than 6,000 members, the Web-based United SG Swingers is one of the biggest.

For all their enthusiasm, few swingers tell family and friends about their lifestyle, although the practice is not illegal in Singapore.

    Sussex Taliban Raid Club Liberty

Based on an article from Mid Sussex Today

Police investigating unlikely allegations of prostitution at a private members' club in Scaynes Hill searched the premiseslast week.

As part of a continuing investigation they also searched a second house in Surrey where a man and a woman were arrested and released on police bail until April 2007.

More than 20 officers from Haywards Heath police specialist search teams and CID department, descended on the former naturist camp at Hamshaw that was controversially changed to liberated lifestyles club Liberty when owner Brian Sheridan and his wife Caroline took over in November 2005.

Leading the team was Taliban Inspector Gordon Denslow. He said: This is part of a multi-agency investigation based on evidence that has been accumulated over the last few months about the set up and management of Club Liberty.

Police were alerted to the allegations when the nutters' association Friends of Scaynes Hill (FOSH) launched their own investigations earlier in the year and composed a dossier of evidence including sexually graphic flyers, discarded sex toys and a report from a private investigator.

Inspector Shane Lambert, of Haywards Heath police, said: There is certainly evidence of sexual activity at Club Liberty. Whether that is prostitution or someone's fetish, to qualify as a brothel it has to be proved it was paid for.

Owner Brian Sheridan called the raid an "outrageous" waste of police resources. Sheridan said: In relation to the proposed charges it seems an incredible disposition to Sussex Police Force. I think it's outrageous. It's a misuse of police funds to finance this at a time when they are tightening their belts. If they had simply called us and asked us to come into the police station and answer their questions we would have gladly done so voluntarily.

    Dogging in Weston

Based on an article from The Weston Mercury

According to a chat forum on adult website www.melanies-uk-swingers.com , Huckers Bow Car Park in Collum Lane, Sand Bay, is a new location for the seedy sex games.

A 'Mr Greedy', who posted the suggestion on the forum, describes the car park as A great location. Very isolated. Ideal location for adult fun and frolics.

Dogging is the act of watching people have sex or joining in in a public place.

Sand Point is also mentioned as a dogging hotspot on the forum but the person who posted the information added 'The old bill always seem to be around.'

    Taking Stock

Based on an article from Sunday Mail

A swingers club got a surprise visit from cops last week - as a sex party was going on.

CJs, in Edinburgh's New Town, was visited due to a licensing application and one punter had to be released from a set of stocks to let officers inspect the venue.

A source said: There were several couples in the club. There was someone in the stocks but he managed to extricate himself before the police saw him.

Following the police visit, a licence extension application has been rejected.

CJs opened last month hosts sex parties twice a week. Customers are charged £30 at the door and adverts boast of playrooms, groping rooms and rooms full of porn.

A police spokesman said: Officers from the licensing section did visit the club in East Claremont Street. This was routine because the club applied for an extension to its entertainments licence.

    Zones of Repression

Based on an article from Fort Wayne.com

A rural swingers club is facing fines of $300 per day after Shelby County officials decided it was in violation of morality zones.

The club, called Topside II, was the talk of the town.

This isn't something that you would expect in rural Indiana , said Shelby County Sheriff Tom Debaun: We don't know if any of this activity is illegal. All of their caveats on their Web page say they don't tolerate illegal activity, so that people who are participating in this are participating of their own free will, and they are supposed to be adults.

Amy Butcher, executive director of the commission, said the owner, Gary James, had moved the club onto an old farm he had bought in rural Shelby County after running afoul of zoning officials in Indianapolis, where she said he had operated a similar club. The club's Web site described it as one of the Midwest's oldest swingers clubs.

However, Topside II's Web site does request donations — from $5 for single women to about $30 for single men and couples. The donations could be enough to classify the club as an adult business, officials said, and the area is zoned for agriculture and single-family residential use. Butcher served James with a cease-and-desist order Sept. 7, and sheriff's deputies who conducted surveillance recently detected no activity.

The commission voted 7-0 to find the club in violation and make the fines retroactive to Sept. 7.

    Saltfleetby Theddlethorpe

I loved the idea of complaining about a man wearing little more than pants [ie swimming trunks] on a beach

Based on an article from Lough Today

Groups of near-naked voyeurs and kinky couples indulging in outdoor sex are supposedly scaring visitors to a seafront beauty spot.

Paul Stanney said voyeurs meeting in the Saltfleetby Theddlethorpe dunes are like 'meerkats' and the problem is getting worse. He visits the beach with his girlfriend and several times they have been approached by men wearing little more than a pair of pants asking if they are 'swingers.'

Prude Stanney said: I'm a man of the world. I'm not a prude...BUT... they can be very intimidating. He said a man asked them: "Are you swingers? Are you into dogging?"

John Walker, reserve warden at Saltfleetby Theddlethorpe National Nature Reserve, said more people need to complain to the police if they see this sort of behaviour. He said it is unofficially advertised as a meeting place on the internet and there are noticeable numbers of people going down there.

A police spokeswoman said there is an informal nudist beach near Sea Lane but there have been no recent reports of any lewd behaviour.

    Beginnings of Repression

Based on an article from The Home News Tribune See also Beginnings

The operator of Beginnings has agreed to leave the Rahway, New Jersey by Dec. 1, according to Mayor James Kennedy. The city issued dozens of citations to the business at 1519 Main St. during a late-night raid earlier this year.

The club advertises itself on its Web site as "New Jersey's Premier Club for Couples" in operation at the same location since 1982. Beginnings, a private club catering to married and committed couples, is operated by Tokar Services.

Tokar Services has been a thorn in this city for many years; a well-known secret where sex acts were protected by laws intended to preserve the rights of Americans, Kennedy said. At long last, the sex club is on its way out of Rahway.

 City Health Officer Rick Proctor and Lenore A. Slothower, director of building, engineering, planning and economic development, were accompanied by Rahway police inside the sex club in March after a court order was obtained authorizing the late-night administrative search warrant.

The two officials issued a total of 39 citations against the sex club. Slothower said a sex club is not a permitted use in the city's downtown business zone. She said sex clubs are not permitted in any zone in the city. Rahway does permit adult entertainment in light-industry zones, with conditions.

The club is only open from 9 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday and from 9 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. First-time customers are charged $90 per couple on Fridays and $100 per couple for Saturdays, according to the Web site. Discounted passes are offered for member couples. Discounted fees also were offered for couples who visited both nights on the same weekend. The Web site indicates membership is approaching 650 couples.

    Departure from Council's Morality Plan

Perhaps it is the council that should be prosecuted. It is the weakest justification to cover up regulation via morality that I have read for a while: refusal on the grounds that the area is primarily industrial and the use of the building as a private members club is "a departure from the Development Plan" for the area.

Based on an article from This is Wirral

A new private members club in Hoylake that offers "relaxation and adult entertainment" could be forced to close this week.

Reflections opened its doors in a former warehouse unit on the Carr Lane industrial estate in June. A local naturist society is advertising itself on the internet saying Reflections is its new monthly meeting place for members.

On its website the group states: Members are able to enjoy their Reflections' full facilities, which includes a sauna, Jacuzzi, shower room, pool room, locker room and lounge. The site said the group did not discriminate on grounds of gender or sexual orientation, is open to singles, both male & female, and couples. The object of the club is for people of like mind to get together in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and, hopefully, form friendship.

Council enforcement officers made a site visit to Reflections in July and subsequently reported that the unauthorised use of the building as a private members club was a breach of planning regulations.

The occupier of the premises has since submitted a planning application asking for retention of use of the building as a private members club.

However, that application - which will go before Wirral Council's planning committee on Thursday recommends refusal on the grounds that the area is primarily industrial and the use of the building as a private members club is "a departure from the Development Plan" for the area.

    Liberated Adult Contact Club

Based on an article from Yeovil Express

Councillors have been reassured that a planned liberated adult contact club' will be run in a professional and discreet manner in Yeovil.

Club Lifestyle Ltd has been granted a licence by South Somerset District Council to open the private members' club in the historic Tabernacle Lane close to Dukes Nightclub.

Now, Yeovil Town Council's planning and licensing committee has this week agreed to support the idea, subject to no strong objections coming forward during an on-going consultation period.

Club Lifestyle plan to install a hot tub, shower room, sauna, a dance room, four bedrooms and a sitting room. The plans also include the provision of a dance pole.

It is understood that the club will open from noon to 12.30am from Mondays through to Thursdays and on Sundays, and from noon to 4.30am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Kevin Higgins, representing the applicants, said: It will be run as a private members' club - not a nightclub - so there should not be any disruption outside. I've been informed that we have been granted a licence and the police and fire brigade are happy with the proposals. We have done everything by the book. The police have been in contact with similar clubs in the Birmingham area to see how they are run.

 Cllr Julian Freke said: I have got no problems if people want to be members of a private club, but I hope it will be kept low key, He made reference to the opening of a sex shop in Yeovil a few years ago and although there were raised eyebrows at the time, he said that it had caused no problems and had virtually gone unnoticed.

    Wicked in Toronto

Based on an article from Canada.com

Toronto will soon be welcoming a new neighbour: a massive swingers club complete with Top 40-spinning DJs, "love furniture," a communal shower and one multi-tiered orgy room.

Branding itself as the city's only "on-premise" club, where sex is allowed in a members-only area, Wicked Club is feverishly renovating an old boozerbefore its grand opening this Saturday.

The club will officially open in October, co-owner Aurora Benzion confirmed. Wicked will also feature a "fashion cafe" open to the general public and set to launch this November, Ms. Benzion confirmed.

Wicked's off-premise floor will boast three bars, an erotic film projection area, buxom hosts and a dance floor for "dirty dancing" -- off-premise translates into "exhibitionism, flirting, kissing, fondling, dirty dancing, etc," but absolutely no penetration. That's reserved for the on-premises VIP Suite, where a daily membership runs $10 for women and $60 for couples.

Persistently marketing itself as a "sophisticated" destination, Wicked caters strictly to 25 to 35-year-olds, "where women run the show" and most men need not apply without a female companion.

Entry to the VIP Suite is more like Fort Knox than a bacchanal.

Hopeful hedonists have to fill out a membership form that includes two (accurate) photos and a slew of personal information. The club reserves the right to turn people away who don't fit the club's "compatibility" --young, fit and scantily clad.

Last December, the Supreme Court of Canada legalized swingers clubs when it ruled consenting adults who engage in sexual activity behind closed doors while like-minded folks look on are not committing indecent acts.

    Private Business

Based on an article from Monsters & Critics

Philadelphia-area officials are looking for a way to stop private sex parties from being held at a local 'swing' club.

Despite nutter efforts, Club Kama Sutra managed to throw a party at its Silhouette Showbar strip club Saturday night.

Officials reportedly learned of the club`s plans last week through Club Kama Sutra`s Web site, which advertised an event featuring: DJs, dancing, light snack buffet and adjacent 12 hotel rooms.

Silhouette Showbar manager John Fox told authorities last week the event would only involve consenting adults. Borough Council Vice President Paul McAndrew conceded the club`s activities, while chided by some residents, could fall within the law: If something is not illegal, and doesn`t disturb anybody nearby, and stays closed, it might be those people`s business and nobody elses', he said.

However, McAndrew said he plans to ask if Club Kama Sutra could be regulated under rooming house or hotel laws.

    Update: Swinging Between Repression and Bureaucracy

Based on an article from WFMZ

A swingers club in Coopersburg, Philadelphia, is being told to pack it in.

Borough leaders say they've sent Club Kama Sutra a "cease and desist order."

The club held its first members-only swingers sex party at the Silhouette Gentlemen's Club last week.

The borough say the club didn't secure the zoning change it needed to have those parties.

Officials say the club will be cited tomorrow if it tries to hold another one.

    Update: Fun Continues

Based on an article from WFMZ

A judge has denied a petition to put a stop to swingers sex parties in Coopersburg, Lehigh County.

The borough's petition claimed that the swingers club caused irreparable harm by operating in violation of the law and that its continued operation would cause residents to question the effectiveness of their government, and the municipality will have problems enforcing other zoning matters.

It is alleged that the swingers parties violated five sections of the borough's zoning ordinance.

Club Kama Sutra started hosting the parties at the Silhouette Gentlemen's Club earlier this month.

The bar owners said earlier this week that the building was zoned as a hotel bar/restaurant with adult entertainment, and claimed they were allowed to rent the rooms out to anyone.

The judge shot down the petition because the borough did not provide a copy of it to the owners of the building.

The judge will consider the matter again in a week.
 

    Update: Zoned for Killjoys

Based on an article from Cumberlink

The borough turned off the water to the Silhouette Showbar on Monday, with more than $700 owing on the club's water bill, and the building cannot be occupied without water, Borough Manager Daniel Stonehouse said.

Stonehouse said the action concerning the pending water bill is unrelated to the borough's legal efforts to shut down the bar's Club Kama Sutra, which has been offering Saturday night sex parties.

Lehigh County Judge Edward Reibman has scheduled a hearing Friday on the borough's request for an injunction against the club. Borough officials argue that it is in a part of town zoned for a bar, restaurant and hotel, but not a private club.

The borough notified the bar Sept. 5 that the club violates the zoning ordinance and gave the operators 10 days to appeal. They declined to do so, saying they had not violated any zoning laws.

    Update: Swingers Turned On

The water bill was duly paid and the water has now been turned back on.

    Update: Moral Regulation

Based on an article from WFMZ

Coopersburg borough has won the right to ban private, members only parties at a gentlemen's club. But attorneys for the club and the swingers say this fight is far from over.

The Silhouette Showbar can't have private members only parties. That's the ruling from Lehigh County judge Edward Reibman.

The legal battle started after Coopersburg leaders found out Club Kama Sutra was holding alleged sex parties at the Gentleman's club.

Attorney's for the Showbar and the Club say their clients have done nothing wrong. They argue this is a constitutional question, citing freedom of assembly versus moral regulation. The attorney for the Showbar says the injunction is a mute point, as the activity in question has stopped.

But on its web site, Club Kama Sutra promotes a Bi Ladies Lingerie Night for Saturday.
The borough says it will be keeping it's eye on the Showbar: We're going to be upholding the zoning ordinance to the fullest extent. We are going to be around looking and seeing what they are doing on the premises and if necessary taking some necessary steps to take it before the judge on Monday morning.

    Swingers in Hot Water

Based on an article from Japan Times

There's a mixed bathing resort in Japan that enjoys a cult status among couples and groups who go there for sexual kicks.

It's a growing trend, says Shukan Taishu. More and more people are going to hot springs, or onsen, for a lot more than innocent rest and relaxation.

The trend appears to have developed from another recent fad, one for mixed bathing, or konyoku. As the popularity of konyoku grew, so has the opportunities for the naked bathers to become physically intimate.

One konyoku resort where such shenanigans take place is in the Higashi Izu district in Shizuoka Prefecture. Its bathing pool is nestled along the sea coast. So when a big ocean wave rolls in, bathers are sprayed with cool salt water. According to a writer specializing in Japan's hot springs, the resort's fame has lately grown well beyond its spectacular setting.

It's gotten the bad name of being a perverted onsen because of the large groups of people who come from all across the nation to swap partners , the writer says.

In the konyoku in Kyushu, men and women have long been known to get really drunk and then start having sex. They would leave behind the litter of this debauchery, including used condoms, he says. There have been cases of these onsen having to shut down as a result."

Moderation and common sense, advises Shukan Taishu, is key if onsen sex is to survive as a trend. Otherwise it could spoil what for many sexual hedonists is a very good thing indeed.

    Fun in Edenderry

From the BBC

Police have said they are working "around the clock" in a bid to tackle lewd conduct in the Edenderry area. The police said, to date, four people had been arrested for indecency offences.

DUP councillor Edwin Poots said residents had approached him about people engaging in "public acts of sex" around the County Antrim village.

Poots said he was contacted by residents about the ongoing difficulties they face with inappropriate sexual behaviour, particularly men engaging in public acts of sex and other repulsive activities.

Poots said the problem, which he claimed also involved prostitutes, needed to be eradicated so that children could play in safety.

    Stony Hearts on Ottawa Council

Based on an article from CBC

More than 1,000 Canadian swingers have been left out in the cold after their Ottawa playhouse closed because of a supposed misunderstanding about the zoning of their new building.

After investing seven months and thousands of dollars in renovations in a rented property near Manotick, the Bashful and Bold club, which bills itself as the capital city's premier club for swingers, has been forced to close its doors.

Last month, club owners found out that their rented property had only been zoned for mineral extraction.

We were led to believe this was a commercial property for a commercial business , said Bob Crandell, who owns the club with his wife Bev.

The discovery was made when the owners approached the city to seek a building permit to replace a structural wall during renovations.

But unlike the club where they have managed to loosen many people's inhibitions, the couple has had little of progress with the city's zoning office. City officials said the owners should have been aware of the zoning regulations affecting the property.

The Crandells have decided not to apply for rezoning, which could take years. Instead, they are now looking for a new location. The club has been operating in Ottawa for the past 11 years.

    Firing Arrows at Cupids

Based on an article from Manchester Online

A Swinton swinging club has been thrust into the spotlight after being at the centre of a politician's legal fight to clear his name.

Tommy Sheridan, former head of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), was accused of cheating on his wife and visiting Cupids swingers' club in Sutherland Street - billed as Manchester's No1 Swingers' Club.

Swinton councillor Joe O'Neill says he is "deeply concerned" by the publicity the case has attracted: This is putting the wrong spotlight on Swinton. The area seems to be degenerating to a tone I'm not happy with. This place is too close to families in residential areas. The police and the council should be doing more about it because a blind eye is being turned and it is not acceptable.

On Cupids' website ladies are urged to wear "sexy underwear, latex, uniforms, towel" while gents are told the dress is "a towel or shorts". It states: Serious swingers can have the time of their lives in our club. Just enter the open rooms for serious attention from anyone in there, but most will not begin until they get the indication that you require their attention.

A spokesman for Salford City Council said: The city council has limited powers to act, which are mostly to do with planning approval and licensing entertainment or the sale of alcohol. If there are other matters Cllr O'Neill believes the police should address, he should of course raise those issues with them.

    Recommended Dogging in Cheshire

Based on an article from ic C heshire
See also the excellent www.melanies-uk-contacts.com

Nutter residents reacted with anger after their neighbourhoods were featured on a dogging website.

One woman said 'it makes me feel sick' after hearing that straight couples and homosexuals were gathering just yards from her home to have anonymous sex.

Now nutters are calling for the websites advertising areas in Halton to doggers and swingers to be closed down.

One such site - run by a North Shropshire couple calling themselves Melanie and Adam - promotes Runcorn and Widnes as 'prime' dogging spots. Among the places recommended to doggers visiting the site were the old Norton Rec site in Runcorn, Pickerings Pasture, Widnes, Runcorn East station, Blackheath Lane, Manor Park Runcorn and Pex Hill car park, Widnes.

Pickerings Pasture was highlighted on the site as a meeting place where gays could have group sex.
Pickerings Pasture was recommended by a poster on the website calling himself Craig. Another recommended Runcorn East station.

    Swinging Fun in Britain

Based on an article from the Belfast Telegraph , by Emma Gold

No-strings, guilt-free sex with strangers – it's not the kind of Saturday-night entertainment you often hear discussed in the office on Monday morning. So it may come as a surprise that as many as 1.5 million British couples have admitted to trying it.

Dedicated nightclubs, magazines, holidays and internet sites are all part of the swinging boom. According to one site, Swinging Heaven, 400,000 people in Britain are involved every week, and the number is growing.

A quick Google search will reveal just how pervasive the swinging scene is, and it is the internet that has enabled this surge by opening communications between like-minded couples. And if this seems incredible – well, it would. Swingers are generally discreet about their activities.

Traditional, noncommercial house parties intended for couples still exist as private, invitation-only affairs. But it is a new breed of club that is changing the image of swingers as middle-aged, bored suburbanites. Belle Baise, launched by Freja Kensington a year ago, is designed for "the sexual élite". It holds carefully screened events at luxurious locations in Nottingham. There is an age limit of 35; the average age is 27.

Those keen to attend must initially submit a photo of themselves and between 40-60% of applicants are turned away because they are not sufficiently attractive. Nonetheless, her latest event is already fully booked.

Similar clubs targeting the young, attractive and sexually adventurous, such as Lounge Parties, Killing Kittens and Fever Parties, have sprung up in the past five years. Clifford Brown of Lounge Parties says: Couples are now more likely to tell their straight friends about their swinging . It may not yet be straight-forwardly open, but there's a cachet, and that's got to be worth a brag.

Swingers tend to be libertarians who are not rule-bound, says Phillip Hodson, a fellow of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. It attracts people either with a strong libidinous drive or a psychological need to exhibit themselves or gain sexual attention.

For those suited to swinging, Roger Lande author of 21st Century Swinging explains the appeal: Stimulation, friendship and lack of guilt. It's not adultery if you're both agreeing to it.

There is also a swinging adage that the more enthusiastic member of a couple will get the couple into swinging, but the less enthusiastic partner will keep them there . As Carol Queen, author of Exhibitionism for The Shy , puts it: The swing community has noticed a prevalent dynamic in couples where one partner, more often than not the man, has more enthusiasm than the other. He has had terrific fantasies about freewheeling sex and plenty of it, and he finally convinces his initially reluctant partner to give swinging a try. When they get to the party, she has a great time and is in high demand, while he thinks the party's a dud.

So what actually goes on? Sexual intercourse generally doesn't happen the minute guests arrive and it tends to take place away from the main party. Guests normally spend the first hour having a drink and chat, says Lande. Gradually, clothes come off and people tend to disappear upstairs for sex. Apart from naked dancing and a bit of heavy petting, nothing serious happens in the main room.

It is considered bad form to attend with someone who is not your partner, although single men do try to bring a female, known as a "ticket" in order to gain entry. There are rules at clubs however, at Killing Kittens, men are forbidden from approaching women. There also seems to be a convention that if you are fully dressed, it is unlikely you will be approached for anything other than a chat and I can confirm that this was my experience. There aren't many rules to swinging, apart from the golden one: "No means no."

There is an accepted etiquette. Some clubs have a designated "group room", where some rules may be slightly relaxed: in other words, it might be assumed OK for someone to touch you unless/until you say no.

Opening closed doors to bedroom areas and just staring at whatever is going on is usually considered rude. It's common for people to dress up. The dress code at Belle Baise is "smart cocktail dress" for women and suits for men.

Some people may prefer not to be around when their partner is having sex with someone else, known as "closed swinging", while others may insist on it – "open swinging". The term "soft swinging" refers to trading partners just for the purposes of heavy petting and then switching back to one's primary partner for any actual sex.

Swingers point to the many advantages of such recreational sex: a variety of sexual partners and experiences; watching others to learn new techniques; "recapturing one's youth"; feeling reassured that you're still attractive and desirable; and increasing mutual attraction and love within the marriage.

Swinging is clearly not suited for those who believe sex is an intimate act between two people. It's also not suited for the insecure and jealous. There may also be a fear that your partner will find someone they like better.

Lande says he has never seen this happen and echoes committed swingers' belief that the practice strengthens the core relationship.

    Conventional Swingers

From Yahoo News

Some 3,000 people gathered on Saturday at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas for the annual Lifestyles conference, a five-day, $700-per-couple event that offers a mix of seminars, socializing and sex.

The conference organizer, Robert McGinley president of The Lifestyles Organization, estimates that there are 3 million swingers in the United States alone. He founded his group in 1969 and began holding the annual conferences in the 1970s.

He said his firm brings in millions of dollars in annual sales from organizing tours to swinger-friendly resorts, Internet sites and from conferences. The Las Vegas event is the largest annual US swinging event, he said: The lifestyles community is rapidly expanding. It's an expanding economic powerhouse.

The crowd at the Stardust appeared mostly middle-aged and middle-class. Organizers estimated that perhaps 40% of the couples were attending their first conference.

For all their enthusiasm, few of the swingers tell family and friends about their hobby. Socially, we're pariahs, said Drew Alexander: We're behaving in a way that's completely against the ingrained Catholic values.

Another couple did not want their names printed but were far from shy. They made love early on Saturday in the hospitality suites where couples wandered from room to room to watch the action at close range. They emerged from their experience beaming, saying seeing others sparked more passion.

    Getting into the Swing of Body Searches

From the People See Naughty Contacts for further details of the event

Couples attending Ulster's first official swingers party will face a full body search on their way into the venue. The organisers are determined that none of the swingers will be able to smuggle in cameras or mobile phones.

The couples nights at Newtownards are two weekly starting from 28th July and are organised by a business consortium behind glossy new magazine Naughty Contacts .

The response to the magazine has been incredible - and we have no doubt that we will have a full house at our first couples night, said an organiser. We want to bring people together and what consenting adults do in private is their own business."

It's estimated there are over 30,000 swingers on both sides of the border.

    Dogged by Repressive Law Makers

Based on an article from the Belfast Telegraph

Police have been urged to increase patrols at an Ulster beauty spot after children walking with their parents were confronted by the sight of two men having sex during the day. The incident occurred at Tardree Forest, near Antrim.

Their mother contacted local DUP representative and District Policing Partnership member Trevor Clarke who says he will be seeking a meeting with senior police officers, including district commander Bill Woodside, to discuss the open-air sex in the Tardree area.

It was widely reported earlier this year that the densely-wooded area is one of the most popular for both straight and gay 'swingers' in Northern Ireland. There are up to 1,000 websites promoting its appeal for open-air sex and voyeurism.

One site gave directions to 'first-timers' at Tardree while another focused on the likelihood and whereabouts of police intervention, stating: Most action after dark - take care as plain-clothes police action, every now and again.

At that time, police confirmed that they were aware of the websites and were monitoring the situation, while Antrim Borough Council subsequently pledged the use of covert cameras to catch those involved in anti-social behaviour in rural areas.

Tardree is unusual in being favoured by both gay and straight 'swingers' and Clarke emphasised that he is not targeting gays alone. This is not a criticism of homosexuals, just of anyone whether they are gay, lesbian or straight who are exposing themselves in public areas. If you want to carry out this sort of behaviour, then do it in the privacy of your home and not in the open where young children can see you.... [Yes but crappy law makers and law enforcers would surely turn down licences etc for anybody who wants to set up a swingers venue indoors]

    Swinging Between Swinging and Clean Living

It would be interesting to find out about Sheriden's voting record on sex related issues.

From The Scotsman

Tommy Sheridan was fired as leader of the Scottish Socialist Party after admitting that he attended a swingers' club, a court was told. He has launched a defamation action against the News of the World, denying allegations that he had affairs with a number of women, visited a swingers' club and enjoyed a sex "party" in a Glasgow hotel.

But lawyers for the newspaper insist claims that Sheridan participated in orgies, that he was a hypocrite and that he abused his position of power are "substantially true".

In the opening evidence at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, a senior figure in the SSP said Sheridan had lied to the media when he cited family reasons for resigning as the party convener in 2004.

A jury of six men and six women jury was sworn in to decide whether the Glasgow MSP was a champagne-swilling adulterer with a liking for group sex or a clean-living family man.

They must decide whether it is true or false that Sheridan, who is married, committed adultery with two women, named as Fiona McGuire and Anvar Khan, the journalist and author, and other unnamed individuals.

Alistair Clark, junior counsel for News Group, said the News of the World prided itself on its campaigns and on exposing hypocrisy on the part of public figures.

He explained that it was enough to establish a defence to a claim of defamation that what had been written was substantially true.

Generally, Sheridan was complaining that articles about him in late 2004 and early 2005 had made him out to be a hypocrite, and the key question for the jury was whether he was or not. I take a hypocrite to mean a man who says one thing and does another, or pretends to be what he is not - for example, pretends to be a family man when he commits adultery and gets involved in group sex activities and goes to a swingers' club with others, not his wife, Clark said.

The articles had said such things, and also that Sheridan drank champagne, despite claiming to be teetotal.

The hearing continues.

    Call for Party Organisers

For further details: contact adam@melanies-uk-contacts.com

After swinging party organisers were threatened by local nutters, the good guys at www.melanies-uk-contacts.com are setting up a legal seminar to explore ways to deal with those that tell you to get out of town before you're fire bombed .

The seminar is specifically intended for those that organise swinger related  venues, ie clubs, regular party holders and swinger friendly accommodation.  All such interested parties are invited along with anybody who can assist on the legal and press relations front.

    Fun For All

Based on an article from The Voice

Swinging is increasing in popularity as an alternative lifestyle for Britain's black community. For 30-year-old Karen, it's the biggest secret thrill of her life: You do a mundane job from nine till five, and this is something that when you look at people in the street, you think to yourself, 'you have no idea what I do with my clothes off!' It's as though you're part of an elite team, and it's so satisfying that you don't need to tell anyone about it.

Despite our liberal society, the idea of swinging still provokes moral outrage, conjuring up images of seething orgies and wild abandonment. And as more and more black and Asian people get involved in the swingers' scene, their parties have been enjoying a surge in popularity.

An investigation by The Voice can reveal a growing trend among black Britons to participate, organise, and manage swingers' parties. One woman of Jamaican parentage, known on the scene as Goddess, told The Voice that black swingers make up as much as 40% of attendees at parties in London. Asians are about 10% at the parties.

Goddess explained how the scene developed: There is a connection between the launch of garage music and black people going to swingers' parties. As more and more people started hearing about a good DJ, girls would bring other girls and they would tell their friends, and it just grew!

Since that first introduction, Goddess hasn't looked back, and is now an established name on the scene, regularly hosting parties for between 20 and 150 people.

Richard Stanley and his black wife Janet organise parties for as many as 200 people at their home in Radlett, Manchester. Recruitment is largely through their website: radlettparties.net.

He said: When Janet interviews new guys, she's checking out that they have a healthy attitude and don't see sex as a predatory fight and that they're sociable, and well bred.

Janet said: I try not to have any body too young - usually people are from 25 to 60 years old. My parties are based around music and food and I introduce people to each other. Most places have four or five bedrooms, so some people may start out in the living room and chat, while others may be in the bedroom. But we don't just eat and jump on each other! If you were at the party for the first hour, it will just look like any other dinner party until people drift off to the rooms.

For most swinging parties, couples pay a minimal fee or no charge for membership. Similarly, there is no charge for single women, but single men, generally over represented, can pay as much as £100. However, party organisers point out that there is little if any profit to be made. There are so many people these days throwing parties, said Goddess.

Despite the laid back attitude there remains the overriding concern about safe sex.

We do have condoms at the parties, Goddess explained: A lot of parties have condoms in the bucketloads. My advice to everyone is to use condoms and my advice to guys who have come with their girls is to watch out for the girls to make sure than no one tries to slip in without a condom. People do look out for each other. We're very responsible.

So is swinging still a dirty secret kept hidden from friends and family? 90% of my friends know about it, and the family that I don't want to know, don't know about it, said Goddess.

And what about the long arm of the law? Police aren't interested as long as we're not doing drugs or anything underage, said Goddess. There is nothing illegal - I don't pay girls to be there. If I was paying girls that would be running a disorderly house. It's a private party behind the closed doors of a residential house.

Richard also boasted of a good relationship with the police, and claims some off-duty cops even attend his parties.

    Dogging Picnic

Based on an article from Matlock Today

Highoredish picnic site has become noted as a dogging site. The site, near Ashover, was locked up in March after complaints it was being used for outdoor sex, but it reopened last weekend.

Derbyshire County Council have cut down trees to make the site less secluded and will only open it at weekends and bank holidays in a bid to keep doggers away.

Some families living in the area are now demanding that the controversial beauty spot be closed for good. Several members of Highoredish Residents Committee said dogging, which has been taking place mainly at night, is not the main problem. They claim to have been propositioned by men and women wanting money in return for sex on numerous occasions during the day.

One of the group said: They keep saying it's a dogging site but it's not. It's mainly male prostitutes, about 80%, and dogging is no more than five per cent. The council said it would never open up again until it is safe. How can they prove it is safe? It's the day-time prostitution that we're upset about, especially when you have got transvestites knocking about."

A county council spokesman said: We are doing everything we can to try to resolve the situation at Highoredish. If we closed the site permanently then genuine users of the area would miss out so we are trying out a number of ideas to try to stop the anti-social behaviour that is occurring.

He said a meeting has been arranged for September.