Happy International Swingers Day! (Aug 16)

Throw an ad up on CraigsList, grab a jug of lube and some male & female condoms, and run to your nearest hotel party. This Saturday is International Swingers Day!

Swinging gained popularity during the sexual revolution of the ’60s & ’70s, during which middle-aged, middle-class, primarily white, married couples got together in homes, hotels, and membership-only sex clubs. You may have heard of key parties, in which men tossed their keys into a bowl. The key a woman pulled determined her sex partner of the night, and she would accompany him to his home or even start at the party. Although such games were often enjoyed, people usually met in an otherwise typical party atmosphere, except with more porn and blankets, and propositioned their desired partners directly. There is debate on whether it was more common to meet at a swingers party and then go elsewhere for the real party, or whether they usually started the fun on-site.

More info on swinging after the jump:

Many swinging parties welcomed single women, few allowed single men. The environments were typically friendly to bisexual women, but usually did not permit male bisexual fun. Some more spiritual groups did energy work and group massages along with their sex, other just drank and got dirty. Few people remembered the details the next morning, making them even more popular. Some have credited the “wife swapping” (just what it sounds like) phenomena to Air Force members who moved their wives on or near their bases during WWII. During the late ’50s the news got out, and people took notice. At the same time, magazines marketed to swingers were gaining popularity as a way for folks in “the lifestyle” to meet through personal ads and events.

Swingers and swing clubs still exist, often looking like modified dance clubs with lots of mattresses, some food and maybe a hot tub. Websites have made it possible for groups to promote their events to a large audience while meeting in various locations. Events are still primarily a baby-boomer affair, although some are more racially diverse than in the past.

Unfortunately man-on-man lovin’ remains a major taboo, while gangbangs, exhibitionism, fem-fem sex, and wife swapping remain popular. It’s not too hard to find reputable parties where drinking is light and drugs are at least hidden, although private parties are probably a lot more common. The focus is on pleasure and getting to try various partners in a freeing environment. Oftentimes people don’t have orgasms with each other, they just get busy and then move on to the next partner.

Good parties pride themselves on being safe for women, and will promptly remove anyone who doesn’t take “no” well or makes an annoyance of his or herself. At the same time, from what I hear, environments are typically male-dominated with more men than women and a common theme of women performing with other women to arouse men. I have yet to hear of men competing to give the best oral at these larger, more established parties, although there are many stories of women doing just that.

Thankfully I have been hearing about smaller, semi-private events (usually in California, of course) where women call the shots and bisexual men are welcome. These seem to be taking place in private homes, yet are well-organized with volunteers and even catering. They also seem to draw from a somewhat younger crowd of affluent 20-40 somethings. Drop me a line or leave a comment if you’re familiar with these events as I would love to post more about them!

So there you go, enough to give you something to talk about around the water cooler, or maybe even with your sweetie!

Find ISD events around the world – here

An interesting bit of research done with swingers – here

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