Sex For Fun News

It's all over for a swingers' club which has finally closed down after a £20,000 two-year legal wrangle.

Owner Stewart Hobbs has given up his battle with council chiefs and on Friday closed the doors of Club Tease in Over.

The move came after he lost a planning appeal for the venue in Unit 16 on the Norman Way Industrial Estate.

The council had rejected two change-of-use applications, to create a private members' club with rooms for sexual activities .

Hobbs lost his appeal against the decision by South Cambridgeshire District Council planners, meaning he cannot legally operate. But he will go before Cambridge magistrates for breaking an enforcement notice after defying an order to close.

Enforcement officers and police raided the premises in August and served a closure order. But the venue continued to trade, attracting about 60 customers at weekends.

A deflated Hobbs told the News: I just cannot go on fighting any more. I have lost £20,000 in legal bills and another £80,000. Members of the club are mortified. We are all completely devastated and believe this has all come about because of a lack of tolerance about what we do.

The reason they rejected the change of use was because they said there were too many cars coming to the club. That's total rubbish. It is an industrial estate on the edge of a village which has lorries coming in and out all the time. We have about 20 cars coming on a busy night which is nothing.

I don't even know if I will go to court. I am having panic attacks. This has been a terrible ordeal and I have come to the end.

Club Tease is a swingers club in Over near Cambridge. It was previously named XScape, but changed for trade mark reasons.

The club has been having a hard time from South Cambs District Council.

From Club Tease:

We have had our business rates upped by 300% without notice and baliffs arriving. We have had 2 planning applications turned down and 1 appeal turned down. We have also had an enforcement notice served on us and raided by the council.

But now after 2 and a half years of fighting and £30 grand down on legal fees, it looks like we have finally won the last planning appeal and by a large margin, as the council are withdrawing prosecution, which would of been on the 6th December 2010, the same day as the planning appeal decision is announced.

So for once we look like the swingers have swung the tide of change and going legal.

Club Tease have also offered their help to any other clubs hassled by councils. (Contact MelonFarmers)

police have said that they were powerless to prevent a swingers' club operating in a sleepy North-East market town.

A spokesman for the Durham force said: The establishment is not breaking any laws because no money is being exchanged for sexual gratification. Officers would only get involved if any offences were committed or abuse was reported.

The Swingers in the Manor Club describes itself as the most up-and-coming swingers' club in the North-East .

Couples and singles must pay a £25 membership fee. Although tea and coffee are available, the club advises members to bring their own alcohol if they want something stronger.

Advertising for the club describes it as: Set in its own grounds in the beautiful countryside of Weardale, County Durham, with breathtaking views and situated in a very discreet location within easy access to the surrounding attractions.

The club's website says: We have a large hot tub, situated outside, which enables you to enjoy the views while relaxing and chatting to friends. Modern and stylish interior with separate cinema, two large lounge areas, balcony and terrace areas with tables and chairs. We also have a fully-equipped dungeon that can be used if required.

Although the exact location of the establishment is a closely-guarded secret, it is thought to be situated in a private property on the outskirts of Wolsingham.

John Shuttleworth, county councillor for Weardale, said: Whoever is running the club maybe should have consulted the people of Wolsingham before opening it. I do not think it is appropriate for Wolsingham and I do not think people there will approve.

Update: Manor Closed

16th October 2010. Based on article from  thenorthernecho.co.uk

The woman who advertised a swingers' club in a quiet dales town has ditched her plans and moved out of the area.

The woman, who calls herself Estelle Pollard, has left Grey Towers, in Wolsingham, County Durham, after days of speculation about what was planned for the rented house.

Her Swinging In The Manor website, which has now been shut down, caused nutter 'outrage' last week.

The landlord, who has asked not to be named, described the whole incident as a storm in a teacup . He said he was baffled by the website, insisting that the dungeon and hot tub did not exist.

Ms Pollard had said that no one had signed up for the club and that she was merely testing the water to see if there was any interest.

The Santa Fe City Council has unanimously approved a rewrite of its indecency ordinance.

Mayor David Coss and Councilors Matthew Ortiz, Ronald Trujillo and Carmichael Dominguez introduced the ordinance to prevent a repeat of an event last June that was part of the World Naked Bike Ride. The new law largely mirrors Albuquerque's ordinance, which had led protest organizers from Albuquerque to hold their event in Santa Fe.

The new law replaces the existing ordinance, which only outlawed women from going topless in places where alcohol is served or if they were engaged in lewd behavior.

The new law specifically bans men or women from exposing their buttocks or genitalia.

Artist Tamara Lichtenstein, who opposed the change, wore a two-piece bathing suit under a black robe and skeletal mask and briefly exposed her backside to the councilors, prompting some groans as well as laughter from onlookers.

Lichtenstein said that because her normal bathing suit exposed her hips, it might be considered illegal under the rewritten ordinance: The burden of living in a diverse democracy with freedom of expression and not in a theocracy is that we are practically guaranteed to be exposed to expressive speech and actions that we don't like, and even things that deeply offend us, she said. If we all agree that no one was ever offended, we wouldn't need a First Amendment.

Gilbert Pino, a board member of the New Mexico Catholic Coalition, found nothing funny about the demonstration. Some of the people in the audience believe it's a laughing matter, he said. I don't. I'm very serious about it. ... All my life, Santa Fe has been the city of the holy faith. Of recent times, it's sad to say that were not the same city we were.

Raymond Joggerst questioned whether the ordinance would apply to his 14-month-old daughter who pulls up her shirt just because she thinks it's funny.

Marcos Martinez, the assistant city attorney who drafted the ordinance, said it does not designate an age at which someone is subject to the restrictions. He said the state Court of Appeals upheld the Albuquerque ordinance, finding that its provision banning toplessness for women, but not for men, did not discriminate against women. Two similar laws in Indiana and Pennsylvania have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, he said.

Police have been ordered to protect doggers and arrest anyone suspected of committing a hate crime against people taking part in outdoor sex.

A new Hate Crime Guidance Manual has been handed to officers warning them that they must not ignore doggers being abused or verbally taunted in any way - as it can cause them to suffer from post traumatic stress.

It states that even though outdoor sex is unlawful , people who take part in dogging or cottaging still have rights - which protect them from becoming victims of hate crime.

The manual, issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, last week, states that people who take part in open-air sex are more susceptible to hate crime and can suffer post traumatic stress and depression if they are abused, Police Review revealed.

The guide states: The issues surrounding public sex environments can be complex and consequently provide a challenge for the police. Whilst complaints regarding consensual public sex must be considered and responded to, it must also be noted that people engaging in such activity are potential targets for hate crime perpetrators.

It states that doggers can be reluctant to report victimisation in outdoor sex environments and says this is due to a misconception that the police will primarily be interested in why they were there, as opposed to tackling hate or prejudice motivated crime. It goes on to say that hate crime can have a 'lasting impact on individual victims , adding that crime targeted at an individual's core identity also has the potential to undermine entire communities and damage community confidence in the police .

The guide adds: Research has shown that any victim of crime can suffer symptoms of depression, anger, anxiety and post traumatic stress

The wrong kind of horny

A herd of bulls could be released into a field to deter people from using it for sex.

Surrey county council has had more than 300 complaints by Puttenham residents about the field nears the Hog's Back lay-by on the A31.

They said the area was being used for sexual activity including dogging.

The council has refused to close the lay-by, saying it would be unfair on legitimate visitors , but is considering measures including police patrols and bulls in the field.

However, Tory councillor Tony Rooth said: It will probably make people even more excited.

Council leader Andrew Povey said there had been several mad ideas to stop people having sex in the field but that the bull option was viable .

Update: Studying Wildlife

29th March 2012. See article from getsurrey.co.uk

A new project is set to 'improve' part of the Hog's Back and transform a well known dogging hotspot into a wildlife area.

Puttenham Parish Council requested £ 3,500 from the borough council towards a scheme dubbed the Hog's Back Wildlife Conservation Project. The proposal aims to provide a safe community area and encourage wildlife to re-establish.

At Guildford's local committee meeting, members agreed Councillor Simon Gimson could spend part of his budget on the scheme.

Canada-based Ashley Madison, the world's largest infidelity website, is launching its services in Britain, and its founder who is a faithfully married businessman denies doing anything wrong, The Times newspaper reported.

Noel Biderman, the founder of Ashley Madison, a dating website was visiting London to promote the launch of his website with its slogan Life is short. Have an affair! The slogan used to be When monogamy becomes monotony.

He argues that launching services in Britain is not based on business expansionist motives but rather on growing client desires and interests, citing a number of 60,000 Britons seeking to join the dating website. He expected one million Londonians to join in after the launch.

A health club that recently opened in Blackburn town centre is operating as a swingers venue, the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal.

The move by Heaven On Earth , near Blackburn Cathedral, has been strongly criticised by community leaders as sending out the wrong message about the town . And a church leader added that he was saddened by its arrival.

The club was initially advertised as a mixed steam room, sauna and jacuzzi but has now added swingers club and swingers parties' to its website. It also describes itself on the site as a brand new swingers club based in Blackburn'.

Swinging, whereby couples swap sexual partners, is not illegal, and the council confirmed the club did not need a specialist licence.

Heaven on Earth offers entry prices for single men and couples, while single women get in for free at all times.

Dhirubhai Patel, who said he was the spokesman for the business, said it opened as a health club first before moving into the swingers market. He said: People can come for the first time to see, but we want people to join as members. It's better for us and they get special offers. We don't get involved in what they do. We are just trying out best to run a business. The members of the club know what to expect. What they do and what they don't do is not my problem.

We don't allow large groups of lads or people coming from the pubs or clubs and there's no entry after 11pm. We close at midnight. So far we've only had good comments. People who come here say they have seen us on swinging websites such as Swinging Heaven. People tell us it's one of the best they've come to. We don't offer any services, just the facilities, which we've spent a lot of money on.

Council leader Kate Hollern said: I am surprised there's a market for this in Blackburn. I don't think it sends out the right message for the town at all —- it's not very tasteful. It's only a stone's throw from the cathedral. I don't think it's appropriate.

Lancashire Telegraph columnist the Rev Kevin Logan, retired, said: My first reaction is one of sadness that such a wonderful gift should be abused by men and women in this way. It ruins, rather than rebuilds, relationships.

Cohesion worker Anjum Anwar, who is based at Blackburn Cathedral, said: Why does the council allow things like this to happen? Don't we have enough problems without these kinds of places? The Cathedral is a wonderful building, and the people of Blackburn will need to decide what sorts of institutions they want in their town.

Town centre police sergeant Dave Clarke said: There's nothing illegal in what they are doing. It has been subject to licensing visits to make sure they are adhering to their licensing conditions and have had no complaints.

A 32-year-old man charged with assault after having violent sex with a teenager has appeared in a Malmö courtroom in a case testing how much sexual violence is legally permitted in Sweden between consenting partners.

The 16-year-old girl came in contact with the man through a sadomasochism-themed website and later signed a slave contract in which she consented to being used, abused and thoroughly humiliated .

I want to have a really hard master. Someone who won't wimp out, the teen wrote during their online chat, according to the Aftonbladet newspaper.

During their sexual encounter, which took place in January, the girl allowed herself to be locked in a cage and have clamps attached to her breasts, according to several media reports. The 16-year-old was also hit with whips and rulers, and made to have oral sex until she vomited, according to Aftonbladet.

Police were alerted to the alleged assault when a relative of the teen noticed she had bruises all over her body.

The issue of how much sexual violence is allowed between consensual sex partners has never been heard in the Swedish court system and experts in sadomasochism are expected to be called to testify in the hearing in Malmö district court.

What I want to establish is that even if they say they are in agreement over this then you not allowed to seriously assault someone, prosecutor Ulrika Rogland said. It is on this issue that the district court has to issue a ruling, is this aggravated assault and was she able to agree to it?

In her opening statements on Monday, Rogland claimed the girl's consent to the violent sex should be nullified because the man was aware that she was prone to self-harming behaviour, according to Sydsvenskan.

However the man's attorney,Bo Peterson, claimed that while the 32-year-old knew of the girl's behaviour, he thought had outgrown it.

When the girl arrived at his apartment they discussed anal sex, among other things, as well as what word they would use to signal to the other to stop their activities if the pain became to great.

Update: Acquitted

29th September 2010. Based on article from thelocal.se

A 32-year-old man has been acquitted of assault after having violent sex with a teenager in a landmark case testing how much sexual violence is legally permitted in Sweden between consenting partners.

The Malmö district court acquitted the man on charges of aggravated assault over a weekend of slave-like sex with the then 16-year-old girl. The ruling is taken as a primary legal indication over whether a girl prone to self-harm is able to consent and submit herself to violent sex.

The district court noted in its ruling that valid consent can not apply to aggravated assault, which in general can neither afford freedom from responsibility for the perpetrator. The court considered the level of violence to which the girl was subjected to be reduced to a classification of assault.

The court thus ruled that this was not a case of aggravated assault, and also noted that the girl had issued her consent of her own free will, observing that she had herself taken the initiative in contacting the man.

During their sexual encounter, which took place in January, the girl allowed herself to be locked in a cage and have clamps attached to her breasts, according to several media reports. The 16-year-old was also hit with whips and rulers, and made to have oral sex until she vomited, according to Aftonbladet.

The girl was over 16-years-old and thus above the age of consent and the court ruled that it had not been proven that her age, her history of self-harm, or any other extenuating circumstance, rendered her unable to understand what she was consenting to, or that her consent was meant in all seriousness. The court furthermore observed that the girl had previous experience of BDSM sex and thus knew what she was getting herself into.

In the town of Federal Way, Washington State, officials are considering changes to the public morals code in order to stop the spread of bikini baristas , women who serve espresso while scantily clad.

If approved, the amendment will classify indecent exposure as a misdemeanor offense. It will prohibit a person from intentionally exposing any part of the genitals or pubic area, parts of the buttocks, the areola, nipple, or more than half of the breast area located below the top of the areola in public. Streets, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, automobiles (whether moving or not) and businesses open to the public, including those containing a drive-through window, are considered public places.

The amendment would address risque attire, such as pasties, associated with bikini baristas. Body paint or dye, tattoos, latex, tape or similar substances applied to the skin to mask any of the above anatomical areas will not be permitted in public. Substances that can be washed off the skin and those designed to stimulate the regions would be banned as well.

The arguments against this amendment are seemingly endless. It's simply stupid legislation, a knee-jerk reaction to what is perceived as a problem, but is really just overreaction to harmless human activity. By specifically targeting women, the proposed law is clearly unconstitutional, and will undoubtedly be challenged in court if it manages to pass.

Locking up women for showing a breast in public is not going to solve any of society's problems. Defining the parts of human anatomy which are unacceptable for public viewing is not going to stop the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases, halt teenage pregnancies, or lower the divorce rate. It's just more examples of impotent government unable to solve real problems, running around shooting straw men and flailing at windmills in order to present to an uninformed and fearful public an illusion of competence.

Indiana's Court of Appeals has ruled that a women's bare breasts do NOT have equal protection under the US Constitution.

This is the opposite of how the New York Supreme court ruled in 1992 where a judge said One of the most important purposes to be served by the equal protection clause is to ensure that 'public sensibilities' grounded in prejudice and unexamined sterotypes do not become enshrined as part of the official policy of government.

A 16-year-old girl accused of exposing her breasts on an Indianapolis street can't argue that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives her the freedom to do it. The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled against the girl's claim that Indiana's nudity law violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.

The girl's attorney said Indiana's nudity law was unfair because it covers the nipples of women, but not men.

The appeals court says the citizens of Indiana have spoken on the issue through their elected representatives.

An Italian court has thrown out a complaint by a mother who said that her young sons were troubled by the sight of a busty young woman applying suntan lotion on the beach.

The Rome court took just a few minutes to reject the case, in which the mother-of-two had accused the 26-year-old woman of committing obscene acts in a public place .

Police in Italy were called after a row broke earlier this month out on a beach near Anzio, south of Rome, between the two women.

The mother had asked the fashion store assistant, identified only as Luisa under Italy's privacy laws, to cover herself up because her large breasts and the act of rubbing cream on them had troubled her sons aged 14 and 12.

After the court handed down its decision the young woman's lawyer, Gianluca Arrighi, said he had never had any doubt that the accusation of obscene behaviour was without substance. He pointed out that it was not illegal to sunbathe topless on an Italian beach and said it was not his client's fault if she had an ample bosom .

Luisa said she was heading to Greece on holiday this week, where she would continue to sunbathe topless: This whole business has ruined the first part of my summer holiday, she told Corriere della Sera.

When Texas residents and the Midland County District Attorney's office got word of a swingers' convention, questions started flying.

The convention was supposed to take place at the Courtyard Marriott in Midland.

It was planned by Texas Passion Events, which posted a message on its website, saying the hotel canceled their contract.

Midland District Attorney Teresa Clingman tells NewsWest 9, she instructed her investigators to look into the convention after citizens called with concerns. It's Clingman's understanding someone called Marriott's corporate offices and then Marriott corporate told the local hotel to cancel the contract.

Last Sunday afternoon, two dozen women and their supporters converged on Venice Beach, California, for a very unusual demonstration. All the women were topless – while the men sported bikini tops.

The march was organised by GoTopless, a US campaign for women to have the same constitutional right to be bare-chested in public places as men. Its members are committed to helping women perceive their breasts as noble, natural parts of their anatomy , and the demonstration had been organised for late August apparently not just because of the hot weather, but to make a feminist point. Campaigners noted that it was in August 1920 that women in the US were given the right to vote, and even in the 21st century, women need to stand up and demand that equality in fact – not just in words .

US soul singer Erykah Badu has paid a $500 (£322) fine and will serve six months' probation for stripping naked on a Dallas street for a music video.

She ended filming by re-enacting the moment when President John F Kennedy was shot dead in 1963 in the city.

The singer was charged with disorderly conduct when a few tourists complained.

In March, the star performed a walking striptease as part of the video for Window Seat , before falling to the ground as if she has been shot. The filming took place at Dealey Plaza, the location where President Kennedy was assassinated.

British morality police. Spoiling the fun of the many, on the complaints of the few

The owner of a swingers' club says a council could face legal action under anti-discrimination laws.

Stewart Hobbs owns Club Tease in Over, which was shut down last week after a raid by police and council officers.

But he is claiming victimisation and has continued running the venue, despite a closure order from police.

Enforcement officers from South Cambs District Council, along with police, were given a court warrant for a breach of planning control on the land, which they served on Hobbs.

The club has proved controversial since it opened in 2008, when villagers expressed concerns about its morality. Its owners applied for planning permission for a change of use at the building, from light industrial to private members' club with rooms for sexual activities on June 5, 2008.

The application was rejected and an appeal by the club was lost on the bollox grounds that as no public transport was available, extra car journeys in the village would disturb residents and make the development unsustainable . [Is that the best they could come up?]

But Hobbs justifiably believes he is being singled out because of the nature of his business. He told the News: They are using sustainability as a reason but what about the other businesses in the estate which have a lot more traffic? I have some gay, transsexual and lesbian clients and I have been keeping them abreast of the situation. They are looking at taking the council to court for discrimination.

I feel really victimised. Why are they going to all this trouble and the cost to taxpayers of having six council officers and two police officers coming to my club to shut me down with a warrant just for little old me? It's just got totally out of hand. The club has 2,500 members and average numbers at the venue at weekends are around 40, according to Hobbs.

A council spokesprat said: We know another appeal has been lodged with the planning inspectorate and we will follow what happens. As an enforcement notice was issued on the club, and the compliance period for that has expired, any further activity is now a criminal offence. After executing our warrant at the club at the end of July we submitted a prosecution file to our solicitors who will decide whether to take this further.

Update: Still Open

23rd August 2010. From  informedconsent.co.uk

From Club Tease:

Club Tease IS still open. Oblivion is still running. The newspaper should be running a retraction saying the club is still able to run due to planning being granted.

They have had to deal with do-gooders going against all applications for planning since they opened. Morally-anal people who don't like our kind upsetting the village etc etc. I doubt it will end any time soon. There are people who won't just let dogs lay.

GoTopLess.org is calling for a public protest after an image at the organization's Facebook page depicting the Statue of Liberty with bare breasts was removed by Facebook staff. The disputed image was a photo of a painting by GoTopless member Donna Grabow.

The incident began when GoTopLess president Nadine Gary received an e-mail from Facebook staff on July 18 explaining the reason for the photo's removal. It read, in part:

You uploaded a picture to 'NEW YORK National Go Topless Day: A March for Women's Equal Rights! AUG 22 that violates our Terms of Use, and this picture has been removed. Facebook does not allow photos that attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use.

Brigitte Boisselier said:

I'm asking all my friends on Facebook and those who believe in equal rights for men and women to post the picture that was taken down, Boisselier said. Some frustrated individuals can't see a nipple without freaking out or feeling offended, but we've already had enough discrimination against the female body. I'm asking all women on Facebook to stand for equal topless rights by posting this photo to their own pages. And I'm also asking all men who can appreciate a female body without feeling guilty to do the same.

The female chest is beautiful and children shouldn't be told it's sinful to look at it. That sort of repression causes frustration and guilt that they will experience as adults, which is such a ridiculous waste. Bare female breasts are seen on all European beaches at this time of year, but as far as I know, incidence of rape and other sexually violent incidents is lower in Europe than in America.

Artist Grabow agrees that Facebook's action was discriminatory and wrong.

Censorship of this painting denies freedom of speech and expression and reflects American prudishness, she said. What's funny is that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French government, and all the French people I know smile when they see this feminized painting. In fact, Europeans just laugh when they learn that Facebook is censoring innocent images like this one. After all, images of nude statues are displayed everywhere else without protest, including in school books.

Canadian nudists have complained bitterly after being threatened with arrest by a police officer at a remote beach.

We're tired of being the victims of prejudice and intolerance, Don Pitcairn, president of Surrey's United Naturists, said: A lady who came by was calling us perverts and child molesters.

The 28-member Surrey group was part of a North Americanwide attempt to beat a Guinness world record of 13,678 skinny-dippers set last year at 139 locations.

Surrey's numbers may have been paltry, but Pitcairn's outrage was in good supply. We were doing nothing wrong, he claimed, citing a section of the Criminal Code that permits nudity at isolated shorelines.

The beach is down a steep bluff, several hundred metres away from more popular bathing spots.

Police Cmdr. Steve Wade said police were acting on a complaint from a man about public nudity. The people at the beach were co-operative. Everything was nice and polite. There was no altercation. We will not go looking for it [nudity], but if there is a complaint, we will take appropriate action.

Pitcairn said the bathers put their clothes on when the female officer showed up, except for two women who refused to cover up, citing a Canadian Charter of Rights decision that permits females to bare their breasts.

Longtime Councillor Bob Bose said the police's presence may have elevated a relatively small matter into a much bigger one: Police don't have to take action, even when a complaint is made. I'm OK with what they're doing. I think we have to make accommodation for people with different interests than our own.

Asbury Park in New Jersey has shot down a proposal to allow women to go topless on one of its beaches.

After hearing a report from City Attorney Fred Raffetto that two city ordinances prohibit public nudity, including simply going topless, the City Council declined to consider the proposal any further.

There is no intention to change those ordinances, Mayor Ed Johnson said.

The idea was the brainchild of Reggie Flimlin who told Associated Press: It's a shame: They had a real opportunity here to embrace women's rights in Asbury Park. It's discouraging.

Supporters say the topless beach would revitalize tourism in Asbury Park and create a new buzz surrounding the resurgent beach town. But others worry it would scare away families who recently have started coming back to the once-famous resort.

The proposal would have enabled women to take off their tops on a beach in the city's north end. No other New Jersey beach permits topless bathing.

Grindr brought gay men together via the iPhone. Grindr 2.0 will aim at the straight sex market

The phenomenal success of a phone application that allows cruising gay men to locate one another instantly using GPS technology has led to plans for the release of a straight version by the end of the year.

The app, Grindr, which promises to help users Find gay, bi, curious guys for free near you! , launched in March 2009. It enjoyed a modest uptake in the UK until Stephen Fry showed it to Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear, prompting 40,000 men to download the free iPhone app in a week.

There are now more than 700,000 men in 162 countries using it, with 2,000 downloading it every day. A Blackberry-friendly version was launched last month.

Users see a grid displaying photos of men and their proximity to them. If you like the look of someone, you can exchange flirty messages before meeting up immediately. One fan of the app told the Observer: I've probably had as much [sex] in the past eight months of Grinding as I have over the 20 years since I came out.

Grindr is the brainchild of Joel Simkhai, a 33-year-old American international relations and economics graduate who worked in finance in his twenties. It took him six months and $5,000 to build Grindr, with the help of a Danish app developer and a friend who was an expert in branding, marketing and design. It's about finding guys. Being among your peers. Socialising, he said.

The rapid success of Grindr is prompting Simkhai to launch a straight version. This notion of: 'Who is around me? Who is in this room now? Who else is like me?' – this is not just a gay thing. Gay men don't have the monopoly on loneliness and isolation.

In the days following the World Naked Bike Ride, which rode boisterously through Madison, Wisconsin, on June 19, championing alternative energy and body acceptance, several questions remain unanswered.

For cited participant Lea Zeise, one big question is: Does the Madison Police Department understand the meaning of the word genitalia ?

Zeise was shocked that after following the instructions of Madison police to cover her genitalia during the event, she was later issued a citation, even though only her breast were uncovered.

I asked [the ticketing officer] what genitalia was, because I know the meaning of genitalia does not mean breasts or nipples, says Zeise. The officer informed her that all the riders had been warned plenty of times to cover up and she could dispute her disorderly conduct citation in court.

According to Zeise, early on in the event, the entire group of naked riders had been stopped by Madison Police officers and specifically instructed over a megaphone to cover their genitalia. Zeise begrudgingly, but dutifully, cooperated by covering her bottom-half with shorts, and then continued the ride only to be ticketed later.

I was fully ready to comply, but we never received a direct 'you need to have fully-covered breasts,' says Zeise, who was one of multiple women issued citations for being topless during the ride. Zeise also has concerns about the forceful manner in which she saw police officers force two naked female riders off of their bikes.

She's not alone in her complaint about the way police officers handled the event. Many of those who received $429 disorderly conduct citations say they intend to contest them in court.

Swingers, straight couples who swap sex partners or have group sex, have some of the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases, Dutch researchers said.

The researchers at the University of Maastricht based their findings on the data on patients seeking treatment in 2007 and 2008 at three sexual health clinics in South Limburg, Netherlands.

During the study period, there were just under 9,000 consultations at the three clinics, in which 12% were identified as swingers.

The study, published online ahead of print in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections , found swingers were among those with the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections -- young people and gay men.

The combined rates of Chlamydia and gonorrhea were 10% among straight people, 14% among gay men, just under 5% in female prostitutes and 10.4% among swingers.

While other risk groups for sexually transmitted infections, such as young straight people and gay men, are systematically identified at sexually transmitted infections healthcare facilities and provided with appropriate services, this is generally not the case for swingers, the authors said in a statement.

The organizer of a June 12 naked bike ride protest is heading to federal court on a mission to overturn San Diego's anti-nudity ordinance, saying it doesn't protect her right to engage in free speech by going without clothes in public.

We think it's too broad and sweeps all nudity into one big category, said attorney Mitch Wallis, who plans to file a request for an injunction on behalf of organizer Sarah Bush. She and others want to use the ride -- and the nudity -- to promote biking and oppose the country's dependence on oil.

The legal brief, which says the nudity ordinance violates the First Amendment, puts Bush's case this way: The Plaintiff Is Entitled To Strip Naked, Paint Her Body With Political Slogans and Protest Important Public Issues.

The city isn't cooperating, and appears ready to crack down on any bicyclists who ride naked (or, in the case of women, topless) on the World Naked Bike Ride's 10-mile route through Hillcrest and downtown.

The city's position is that the law will be enforced, said Gina Coburn, a spokeswoman for the City Attorney's Office, in an e-mail. The law does not prohibit bike riding. It does prohibit public nudity.

San Diego's World Naked Bike Ride is one of more than 25 nude protest rides scheduled around the world on June 12.

A court in Switzerland has upheld the appeal of a man who was fined for rambling naked.

The court in Trogen ruled that the naked hiking did not amount to indecent behaviour .

The case was the first since the eastern Swiss canton of Appenzell allowed naked hikers to be fined. Appenzell has become a popular destination for those who like to hike without clothes, but some locals are unhappy about the trend.

The hiker in question was fined 100 Swiss francs (70 euros, £60) after eyewitnesses complained that he had been hiking in full view of a communal barbecuing area. They also say he walked past a Christian care home, whose residents saw him.

Swiss federal law states that public nudity is not a crime.

What was billed as the Muslim world's first nudist hotel has been forced to close, just six days after it opened.

It was shut after a local authority inspection trumped up some nonsense that balconies did not conform to the architect's drawings.

The first 12 sparsely-clad guests at the 64-room Adaburnu Golmar Hotel in Datca on the Turkish Riviera have had to be moved to more conventional accommodation.

The hotel owner Ahmed Kosar said he hoped to modify the balcony and re-open by Wednesday. He said he was campaigning to re-open the hotel, and argued that many other hotels in the area have been allowed to continue operating despite not getting some of the many different licences required in Turkey.

The resort was constructed in a quiet spot on the Datca peninsular, east of the popular resort of Marmaris. It offers guests the opportunity to bare all around the pool, or to take a special shuttle bus to a private beach where nudity is tolerated.

The hotel is only open to foreigners - Turks are not allowed to stay - and the staff, nearly all male, keep their clothes on.

Gloucester's former New County Hotel, renamed Club Mystique, was changed to a venue for people with alternative sexual lifestyles last year.

But it has now closed just five months after opening – sparking rumours whether it will be closed for good.

Club Mystique boss Harry Sykes last night confirmed the hotel was currently closed after shutting on Tuesday. He refused to give any further comment to The Citizen.

The news has been welcomed by some members of the Gloucester community, who fought against the opening of the new unusual venue in Southgate Street last year.

Mark Jones, a leader at the City Church of Gloucester said: There are those who have been praying for it to close. I'm very pleased. With all the work they're doing to improve the area down there, it would seem to be a timely closure.

Gloucester city councillor and a member of the planning committee Gordon Taylor said: It's good news. If you're running a business, you need to have the trade, and I think it was in the wrong place for the sort of market they were aiming for.

A fake brown tourist sign, pointing to an official dogging area at a Cotswold beauty spot has been ripped down by angry residents.

It was put up on the Cirencester bypass at Birdlip and points towards the Barrow Wake viewpoint - a well known site for public sexual activity.

David Parkinson said Barrow Wake's reputation was a problem for local residents and the sign did not help.

Parkinson said: It does tend to make the lives of local residents impossible. The viewpoint itself is one of the best in the area, giving fantastic views across Gloucestershire. You park there and you get accosted by people after 'stranger sex', I believe the terminology is. It's become a no-go area for residents.

He said the sign looked very much like an official one, but he was planning to burn it on a bonfire.

Police said they were aware of their concerns and were addressing them.

Tops for All!

Nearly two dozen women marched topless through a Maine college town to protest at what they call a double standard that allows men to take off their shirts on a hot summer day.

Many men joined the women, taking off their shirts and marching side by side.

It's already legal under state law for women to go topless in public in Maine. But the protesters in Farmington want it to become socially acceptable, too.

It's about gender equality, said Tia Jacques of West Gardiner, joined by husband Charles University of Maine at Farmington. Added Charles: Whether you choose to do this or not, I want you to be free to do this. He also offered some advice: Keep making a big deal about it until it's not a big deal.

The event was organized by 22-year-old Andrea Simoneau, a student at the University of Maine at Farmington who was inspired by her participation in a topless march April 3 in Portland. She'd been going topless downtown and near campus for the past couple of weeks to drum up interest in the march.

Thanks to the back-to-back events and ensuing Internet buzz, Maine is fast earning a reputation as a place where women can let down their hair—and their Advertisement EarthShare tops.

Not everyone is happy with the display of skin. Men shouldn't be half-naked in public, either, said Heidi Marshall of Weld, who held a sign that said Tops for All as the mass of people marched past.

Boulder nudists, naked pumpkin runners, nude bikers and others who want to disrobe in public can now be ticketed by police for violating a city law that bans public nudity.

In a 6-3 vote, the Boulder City Council approved a proposal to extend the city's anti-nudity laws and give police a new charge to ticket under.

The new municipal code makes it illegal for people over the age of 10 to show their genitals in public or on private property where it's obvious to passersby. It does not ban women from going topless in public.

Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner and District Attorney Stan Garnett both support the measure and told the council they need an alternative to stricter state laws for situations such as streaking, the annual Naked Pumpkin Run or the World Naked Bike Ride.

The council decided to enact the rules immediately, rather than wait for a bill being considered at the Colorado statehouse to move forward.

House Bill 1334 gained approval by the state House of Representatives last week. The bill would change the penalties and definitions for several offenses involving public nudity, which some council members argued would do essentially the same thing as Boulder's ordinance.

But others, including Garnett, said the state law is too strong in that it requires anyone convicted of more than one instance of public indecency to register as a sex offender.

Women walked topless through Portland in Maine in demonstration in support of topless rights

Organiser Ty MacDowell said the protest was aimed at showing the double standards in the state of Maine.

Men are allowed to walk down the street shirtless but, although not illegal, women are too afraid to go topless.

Police gave the two dozen women an escort as they bared their breasts for a stroll through Maine's biggest city. Hundreds of onlookers, mostly men, turned out to watch the topless demo.

MacDowell said she was upset that many of the men were taking photos on their mobile phones at the spectacle. She said: I'm really upset by the men ... watching it like it's a parade.

Maine has some of the most relaxed nudity laws in the US. Women are allowed to go topless, but very few choose to strip off for fear of being ogled.

Cases of syphilis have increased four-fold in Britain's Facebook capital as users meet up for unprotected sex, it was revealed.

Figures released last month showed that people in Sunderland, Durham and Teesside were 25% more likely to log on regularly.

And an NHS trust chief said Facebook and similar sites were to blame for a shocking rise in cases of potentially-lethal syphilis in the region.

Professor Peter Kelly, director of Public Health for NHS Tees, said: There has been a four-fold increase in the number of syphilis cases detected, with more young women being affected. He said staff had found a link to social networking sites among those infected.

Prof Kelly said: I don't get the names of people affected, just figures. And I saw that several of the people had met sexual partners through these sites. Social networking sites are making it easier for people to meet up for casual sex. There is a rise in syphilis because people are having more sexual partners than 20 years ago and often do not use condoms.

A little over a year ago, Amarillo's swingers geared up for their New Year's Eve party at Route 66 Party and Event Rental, a downtown business owned by a prominent couple, Mac and Monica Mead.

Few in this conservative, church-heavy city knew about the weekend parties, and the swingers liked it that way. Everybody in the lifestyle has to be very, very discreet, says Mac.

The Meads enforced strict rules at the members-only club: no drugs, no single men, no audio-visual equipment. Most couples, even ones who had been in the lifestyle for years, are on a first-name basis only. The location of the club is (or was) to be kept strictly private. So imagine the swingers' surprise when they arrived at their New Year's Eve bash to find two dozen protesters, local media in tow, holding signs and singing songs. This was a most unwelcome coming-out party.

Some protesters, mostly young men in their teens and early 20s, wore black hoodies and military fatigues. The men, Amarillo would soon learn, were foot soldiers of Repent Amarillo, a new, militant evangelical group that advertises itself as the Special Forces of spiritual warfare. Their leader, David Grisham, a security guard at nuclear-bomb facility Pantex who moonlights as a pastor, explained the action. We're here to shine the light on this darkness, Grisham told the Amarillo Globe-News. I don't think Amarillo knew about this place. This is adultery. This is wrong. There's no telling how many venereal diseases get spread, how many abortions. The goal, Grisham says, was not just to save the swingers' souls, but to shut the club down.

For the past year, this Bible Belt city of 200,000 has been consumed by a culture clash between Repent Amarillo and their targets, a list that includes everything from gay bars to liberal churches. For the Route 66 swingers, Grisham's special forces have been a near-constant presence. Jobs have been lost, families estranged, assault charges filed and businesses shuttered. So far, no public official has stood up to defend these businesses, which operate legally. To the contrary, Repent Amarillo has managed to turn the city's own laws and employees into an effective weapon. Amarillo, it turns out, doesn't have the stomach to stick up for gays, swingers, strippers or even Unitarians. Absent a peacekeeper, the conflict might end up being settled the old-fashioned way, frontier-style. This will not end until somebody gets hurt, either us or them, one swinger warns.

Repent has made it clear that its crusade won't end with the swingers. Last January, community theater group Avenue 10 was set to open Bent , a play about the persecution of homosexuals during Nazi Germany. The day before opening night, the fire marshal, police and code enforcers showed up, tipped off by a Repent associate, according to Sirc Michaels, co-founder of the theater. Avenue 10 didn't have the right permit for holding events, and the space was shut down.

What's next for Repent? They've posted a Warfare Map on the group's Web site. The map includes establishments like gay bars, strip clubs and porn shops, but also the Wildcat Bluff Nature Center. Repent believes the 600-acre prairie park's Walmart-funded Earth Circle, used for lectures, is a Mecca for witches and pagans. Also on the list are The 806 coffeehouse (a hangout for artists and counterculture types), the Islamic Center of Amarillo ( Allah is a false god ), and compromised churches like Polk Street Methodist (gay-friendly).

Police discover sex dungeon in Devon village (on the first floor of a semi-detached home)

Police (in uniforms with  batons, handcuffs and Tazer guns) were predictably 'shocked' to find a sex dungeon containing Nazi uniforms, whips, chains, sex toys and cattle prods.

Officers were alerted after neighbourhood snitches reported unusual behaviour and strange sounds coming from the four-bedroom semi in Lee Mill, Devon.

Police arrived with battering rams to raid the home but a plain clothes officer knocked on the door and the residents let him in thinking he had an appointment.

The sex dungeon was found in a converted first floor room filled with hundreds of items including whips, gas masks, wooden bats, handcuffs, clothes pegs and shackles. Police also discovered bondage chairs with straps, straight jackets, sex toys, gimp masks, S&M outfits, shackles, cattle prods and car batteries used to power the toys. The dungeon was also stuffed with various electrical vibrating items and a recording studio complete with computer equipment and mixing desk.

During the raid, one customer arrived at the home and still asked for his appointment to go ahead despite the large police presence.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Gilroy of Devon and Cornwall police said the home had been a suspected brothel and police had expected to make a forced entry.

A spokesman said: The current tenants have had the property since October and neighbours had reported many different cars and strange men arriving.

A man from Lee Mill, a woman from Ivybridge, Devon, and a woman from Plymouth have been arrested in connection with the incident. They have been released on police bail until April 30 to allow police to carry out further enquiries.

One neighbour said: I've seen traffic jams caused by people trying to go there. It's disgusting. We just want them out and have a nice family move in.'

A sex club has moved into an art gallery with the stated aim of helping visitors to a Gustav Klimt exhibition confront their sexual inhibitions.

The Secession, a contemporary art venue in Vienna, has incorporated the club, named Element6, as part of a project by Swiss artist Christoph Buechel.

Visitors must walk through it to reach one of Klimt's paintings.

A spokesman said Buechel hoped to spark a scandal similar to when Klimt's Beethoven Frieze was exhibited in 1902.

It has already attracted opposition from Austria's far-right 'Freedom' Party, which issued no fewer than six press releases denouncing the project. By abusing artistic freedom, the significance of Austria as a country of culture and of Vienna as a cultural capital is being dragged in the mud, said local 'Freedom' Party politician Gerald Ebinger.

Vienna's Mayor, Michael Haeupl, said that he did not approve of the club, but noted that outraged politicians and newspapers were playing into the artist's hands

Klimt's 1902 painting Beethoven Frieze was once considered obscene and pornographic because of the way women's bodies were depicted, but it is now seen as one of the Austrian artist's key works.

While the club only opens at night, long after the art hall closes, daytime visitors aged 18 and older pass through its dimly lit rooms, complete with mattresses, bar and spa bath.

The club, which is normally located in another part of town, said its participation aims to give as many people as possible the opportunity to overcome their inhibitions . In the framework of this exhibition at the Secession, each individual can test for himself or herself whether this opens up new dimensions for his or her own sexuality, the club said in a statement.

The town of Boulder in Colorado gets all het up by the streakers of the annual Pumpkin Run on Halloween.

A public-nudity law is now being considered by the Boulder City Council would expand the definition of being naked to include exposing the female nipple, and it would make it a municipal offense to be naked in public places or view.

After years of debate about how to deal with people who streak as a prank or participate in events like the annual World Naked Bike Ride and the Halloween night Naked Pumpkin Run, Boulder is now seeking to expand the ban on public nudity to the entire city, while also expanding its definition of nudity.

The Public Nudity Prohibited ordinance would apply to anyone older than 10 who exposes any portion of his or her private parts, including the areola of a female breast. Tickets would carry a fine of up to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail.

The rules would not apply to people who enjoy going au naturale inside their own homes -- so long as it's not obvious to passers-by -- or sunbathers in backyards. Women who are breastfeeding in public would also be exempt, along with people in dressing rooms, shower rooms, bathrooms or other enclosed areas where nudity is permitted.

Judd Golden, chairman of the Boulder County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, disagreed and said that the law would go too far: They are deciding that anyone who is in a state of undress must be committing a crime . He said people who are naked for some sort of sexual purpose, such as exposing themselves to children, are committing a crime that's already covered under state laws. Other people, like streakers who run across sports fields, people who ride bicycles naked or run nude on Halloween, should be arrested or ticketed based on their behavior -- not because of a lack of clothing, Golden said: Let's look at the actual conduct and decide if there is a public interest in criminalizing that or no. This non-sexual prankster stuff shouldn't be against the law.

Last week Stephen Gough was found guilty of breaching the peace when he walked naked from Perth prison in December after finishing a 12 month sentence for the same offence.

Mr Gough was warned he will continue to be jailed every time he steps out of prison without any clothes on.

All children will get lessons on how to say no to sex under reforms proposed by the Conservative party leader, David Cameron, to mend Britain's broken society.

He said school curriculums should include teaching about sexual consent – with an emphasis on empowering youngsters to refuse.

Naked rambler Stephen Gough has been warned he could spend the rest of his life in jail unless he puts on some clothes. Gough, who has become notorious for trying to walk around the UK naked, was arrested within seconds of being freed from Perth Prison on 17 December.

He was found guilty yesterday of breaching the peace by walking naked in the street and refusing a request by police to put on some clothes. On the past two occasions when Gough has been released from jail, officers from Tayside Police were waiting at the prison gates to re-arrest him.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told Gough he would not have to be crystal ball gazing to realise that the same process would occur again and again and again .

Gough – who has spent the bulk of the past seven years in jail for identical crimes – yesterday turned down an offer to walk free on condition that he get dressed.

Foulis told him he would consider granting him bail to go back to his warmer home county of Hampshire if he agreed to put some clothes on, but Gough said he would not. A number of your recent convictions have arisen in similar circumstances, the sheriff said. You have more or less been apprehended when you have been released from prison. I suppose it doesn't need an expert in crystal ball gazing to anticipate that if I impose a custodial sentence then in so many months a similar scenario will arise. When the day comes for you to be released from a prison establishment, you will be apprehended and the same process gone through again.

Gough said he accepted it was potentially the case that he could remain in jail forever – apart from the few seconds of freedom he enjoys every six months or so.

During the trial, he compared himself to the African-American civil rights campaigner Rosa Parks, and said he believed his behaviour was reasonable . Gough said: Essentially, this is about individual freedom and people's tolerance to other people being different. I understand a lot of people will disagree and have strong feelings about it. Walking the amount of miles I have, through towns and cities, it is on the whole a very small moral minority who act in an irrational way. I believe I am behaving in a reasonable way.

Gough was allowed to conduct his own defence in open court while completely naked and the sheriff said he would consider whether that was a contempt of court when he is sentencing. He warned Gough that he could be jailed for upwards of 18 months.

Jennifer Moss, known for biking around Ashland, US, in just a g-string, has allegedly prompted officials to extend a ban on public nudity.

The 34-year-old former waitress, popularly known as Ashland's Naked Lady, will have to take her joyrides in clothes after the order takes effect in February and applies to anyone over the age of 8.

I just wanted to stand up for evolution. In Europe it's no big deal to see naked people. It will be nice when Americans have evolved and they won't even notice that I'm naked anymore, CBS News quoted her.s.

Two Russian couples have been arrested and charged with public indecency after being discovered having sex on Jomtien Beach.

A Pattaya police captain received a report at approximately 5:30am on Sunday that a crowd of onlookers had gathered where a group of foreigners were having sexual intercourse on the beach and in the sea. A team of police went to the scene to investigate further.

At the scene officers discovered the four foreigners (two men and two women) frolicking around on the beach and in the water, semi-naked, whilst a large crowd of Thai and foreign onlookers had gathered. Police intervened, asking the group to cease the indecent display, get dressed and accompany them down to the local Dongtan Police Station.

After police interrogation it was discovered that the foreigners were of Russian nationality and between the ages of 25-30. They were accordingly charged 500 baht (£9.50) each for public indecency.