Swinging, (a.k.a. The Swinging Lifestyle) is multi-partner sexual activity
which is experienced as a couple. Swinging can be seen as part of the
sexual revolution of recent decades. Swinging has been called wife
swapping in the past. This term, however, does not accurately describe the
full range of sexual activities in which swingers may take part. So what
are the numbers? According to estimates, approximately four million people
are swingers in the United States alone.
Swinging activities typically include the following:
Exhibitionism: having sex with a partner while being watched.
Voyeurism: watching others have sex.
Soft Swinging or Soft Swap: kissing, stroking, or having oral sex with a
third or fourth person. Soft swap may be in the form of a threesome, group sex,
or the literal swapping of partners.
Full Swap: having penetrative sex with someone other than one's partner.
Although this is the commonly understood definition of swinging, it is not
necessarily the most common type.
Group Sex: An all-inclusive term for activities involving multiple
partners in the same vicinity.
Certain swinging activities are highly organized. Most major cities have at
least one swingers' club in a permanent location. Swingers also meet
through lifestyle magazines, personal ads, swinging house parties, and Internet
sites.
Although the term "club" may refer to a group that organizes lifestyle-related
events in a particular area, it can also refer to a physical location or
building. In this latter context, clubs are typically divided into on-premises
clubs, where sexual activity may occur at the club itself, and off-premises
clubs, where sexual activity is not allowed at the club, but may be arranged at
a nearby location.
Many off-premises swinging clubs follow a bar or nightclub format, sometimes
renting an entire existing bar for scheduled events. On-premises clubs usually
have a similar format as off-premises clubs. A notable exception is that most
on-premises clubs do not serve alcohol, asking participants instead to bring
their own, thus avoiding issues from restrictive laws regarding sexual activity
and the sale of alcoholic beverages. Concordantly, the vast majority of swinging
clubs in the US do not advertise as such due to the strict moral climate there.
A large amount of swinging activity is organized via the Internet (hence the
need for this website) on various sites with personals, listings, and local
information. For many couples, the swinging lifestyle and the clubs can be as
much a social venue as a sexual one. Like many sexual subcultures, a strong
community atmosphere exists, fostered in part by the greater communication
enabled by the Internet.
Genital herpes
is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the herpes
simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). Most genital
herpes is caused by HSV-2. Most individuals have no or only
minimal signs or symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection. When
signs do occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on
or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving
tender ulcers (sores) that may take two to four weeks to heal
the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can
appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is
less severe and shorter than the first outbreak. Although the
infection can stay in the body indefinitely, the number of
outbreaks tends to decrease over a period of years.
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