The Swing Community: A Profile
From Sexuality.org
Introduction
This article covers the emergence and growth of organized
recreational sex amongst mixed-gender couples as a social
activity.
The most frequently-used term for this community is
the “swing,” “swinging,” or
“swinger’s” community. In the 1980’s,
Dr. Robert McGinley1 began promoting the use of “lifestyles”
in place of “swing,” and “playcouples”2
in place of “swingers”; in addition to escaping
media stereotypes that had built up around “swingers,”
he wanted a term that was inclusive of couples who participated
but didn’t choose to interact sexually with other
couples.3 This new terminology (while certainly well-intentioned)
hasn’t fully caught on yet4, and in the interest
of avoiding confusion I’ll tend to use the older
term, with no offense intended, particularly when discussing
swinging’s origins or when discussing books or
articles that themselves use the older term.
History and Politics - Community Origins
As far as anyone knows5, swinging (as this community
exists today, in the United States) had its roots amongst
an elite group of U.S. Air Force fighter pilots during
World War II. These men were wealthy enough to move
their wives close to base, and the fact that their fatality
rate was the highest of any branch of service led to
an unusual social milieu in which non-monogamy between
these pilots’ wives and other pilots became acceptable.6
These arrangements persisted near Air Force bases throughout
World War II and into the Korean War.
By the time the Korean War ended, these groups7 had
spread from the bases to the nearby suburbs. The media
picked up on them in 1957 and promptly dubbed the phenomenon
“wife-swapping.”8 Although the media didn’t
treat this new phenomenon respectfully, the public’s
response made it clear that they wanted to hear more.
By 1960, there were over 20 widely-available magazines
which carried “swinger” ads.9 These magazines
provided a medium through which the first swinger parties
could advertise themselves, and the first permanent
clubs began appearing in the late 1960’s.10
Organized swinging outside California was originally
all “off-premise.”11 This was also true
for New York until the legendary on-premise club “Plato’s
Retreat” was founded12; in the South, Midwest,
and Northwest, dances13 remained the most popular form
of off-premise swinging. All of these clubs were completely
independent entities and there were no national gatherings.
Dr. Robert McGinley founded the Lifestyles Organization
in 1975, through which he began hosting the first national
Lifestyles Conventions14 along with his first efforts
to improve the public image of swinging.15 He subsequently
founded the North American Swing Club Association (NASCA)
in 1979, with the intent that NASCA serve as a trade
and standards organization for swing club owners.
The swinger’s community continued to grow throughout
the 1980’s and 1990’s16, and is currently
enjoying an upsurge of interest and growth.17 Although
single women are almost always welcome at today’s
swinging events, the degree to which single men are
accepted varies from club to club. Although female bisexuality
is common in the swing community, male bisexual activity
is still almost non-existent at swing events.
Political Struggles and Strategy
The swing community won their first major political
battle in 1996-199718 against the California Department
of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).19 As Gould [9]
describes it, the rhetoric they used in this struggle
was a textbook example of how sex-positive communities
of any kind can find common ground with the public:
1. They argued that the ABC was attempting to regulate
the private sexual behavior of citizens, which made
the ABC’s actions everyone’s concern rather
than just one organization’s concern.
2. They got the ACLU and other free-speech / first-amendment
advocates involved, as a result of the ABC’s interest
in shutting down a display of erotic art at their convention.
McGinley considered this issue to be his “high
ground,” and recognized that many consider censorship
of art or speech to be warning signs that government
is on the wrong path.
3. They aligned themselves, at least rhetorically, with
the political struggles of other sexual minorities (particularly
the gay community). This framed the debate in terms
more favorable to them.
Swing clubs in some cities and states have faced unfair
treatment from local authorities (typically via selectively
enforcing zoning regulations, or passing new ordinances).
Recently, this has occurred in Florida and Arizona.
The Arizona case is particularly interesting,
because it essentially resulted from a failure to align
with other sexual minority groups. When asked why Phoenix
was shutting down its five swing clubs but leaving its
gay male sex club (“The Chute”) in peace,
a City Attorney gave the following remarkable answer...
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