HISTORY OF SWINGING


Swinging is the popular and accepted term used for recreational sex. It is a rapidly growing Lifestyle in the
western world, particularly in Europe, U. S. and Canada.

The earliest known reporting of modern swinging was in the 50s; it was reported as mate-swapping.

Soon, clubs sprang up in Berkeley, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Most clubs were informal
meetings in homes of individuals or owners of the clubs.

Some cocktail lounges and bars began catering to the growing swinging clientele.

Clubs, in tandem with cocktail lounges, began in New York and several other cities.

By the spring of 1972, there were eighteen party houses and social swing clubs in Southern California.

Historically, it has not been uncommon to find societies that have advocated having multiple sexual partners.
Furthermore both royalty and nobility in many cultures had consorts and concubines. Ancient Rome has been notable (if
not infamous) for its enthusiastic acceptance of orgies and alternative sexual practices. However, though contemporary
swingers celebrate those ideals, the actual practice of swinging in the 20th century began differently.

According to Terry Gould's The Lifestyle: A Look at the Erotic Rites of Swingers (ISBN 1552094820), swinging began
among U.S. Air Force pilots and their wives during World War II. In this small community, the mortality rate among pilots
was significantly high. Consequently a close bond between pilots arose, with the implication that the husbands would
protect and care for all the wives as their own, both emotionally and sexually, if the husbands were away or lost.

These arrangements persisted near Air Force bases throughout World War II and into the Korean War. By the time the
Korean War ended, these groups had spread from the bases to the nearby suburbs. The media picked up on them in
1957 and promptly dubbed the phenomenon "wife-swapping."

It wasn't until the 1960’s in Berkeley, California that the first organization, "Sexual Freedom League", for swingers was
opened. Ultimately, an umbrella organization called North American Swing Club Association (NASCA) was formed to
encourage accurate information about swinging lifestyles all across America. In 1973, The Lifestyles Organization held
their first convention in Riverside California

Though the swing clubs and magazines helped swinging to grow, the real backbone of swinging has always been the
individual men and women who adapted swinging as part of their Lifestyle. These people live in every part of the country.

No one knows their total number, but it is substantial, and growing.
Swinger
History