Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Sex Positive PartyYou've heard tell of wild parties where people show up in latex outfits and make out in public, where anything goes...but do you know anybody who's ever gone to one?
I knew a crowd of people that were into swinging. They'd go to the parties, men would drop their keys in a hat, and women would draw from it. Whoever's keys you got, that's who you went with for the evening. My husband and I were invited repeatedly to join the group--he had to explain to me what they did there.
I'm the jealous sort. There was no way I was letting my husband put his keys in a hat for those women. And the men in the crowd? There was no doubt in my mind why they wanted us in the loop. Tony was ten times the man that any of them were. Why, there was one guy (a cop) who had a bleached white Elvis style pompadour. I'm not kidding.
That group fizzled out. Most of the couples ended up switching partners for good. Divorcing their spouses and remarrying someone else from the group. It turned into a real mess.
That was years ago, though, and we've moved to another town. So, why bring it up now?
I've been invited to be on a panel at a one day conference called an Erotic Writer's Weekend. It's put on by Writer's Weekend, which does these all over the country. I tentatively said yes, I'd come. (To Seattle in October.) I haven't confirmed.
I sent my husband the link to the site and said, "Wanna go to Seattle?"
Now, I'm notorious for not reading the small print. He, on the other hand, pours over anything that says EROTIC or SEX. So, he calls me last night and says, "Yeah. Definitely, let's go."
He was a little too enthusiastic. So, I had to ask what had him so...whatever. He laughed. "You didn't read the FAQ section of the site, did you?"
Of course, I'm instantly afraid of what he's gonna tell me. "Noooo, whyyyy?"
There's a party Saturday night. They call it a sex positive party. When I inquired more, this is what I got:
> Well, it's optional, of course. The Wetspot is the venue where we will have
> the workshop - it's a big warehouse that's used for dances, classes and
> 'play parties' - and by 'sex positive' they mean that people who go there
> are there knowing they may see something in the range of sexual behavior.
> There are gay and lesbian couples, etc. There's a social area that's
> separate from the dance floor or the 'play' area, so you can be in the place
> and stay away from the action, or view anything from a distance. It's
> really no more than being in a strip club or something...
>
> It's like being in a bar, or the bar scene from The Matrix - there are
> people in SM outfits, or half nude, or fully clothed. The thing is, it's in
> the rules that you have to be very polite and respect people's boundaries,
> so you are not likely to have anyone bother you and if you want to drop in
> and just see what it's all about, it's a good opportunity to do that. It's
> not exactly a swinger's club, it's more like a dance club where you might
> see someone making out with little clothing on!
>
> We won't have anyone but the writers there during the day, so none of that
> will be going on - and since erotic writers run the range from sweet but
> spicy romance to full adult film screenplay, we may have some people who are
> curious and want to stop in. I've been there a lot and am quite comfortable
> with it, so I can be like a native guide. It's visually very interesting!
> Lots of material there for future stories!
>
> Yours,
> Karen Junker, Exec. Director, http://www.WritersWeekend.com
You can go read the website if you want. Tell me what you think about this. Should an erotic writer go? Should a mother of five, whose happily married, stay out of places like that?
2 Comments:
Well, it does say you can just look around.
It sounds like you have a strong, committed marriage, so I doubt you guys would have problems in that way. Guess it depends on what you're up for seeing.
Uh, can you tell, I have no answer for you? I can't even answer the question for myself. I'd probably turn so red and go so tongue-tied, I'd humiliate myself. Curiosity might actually make me step foot in there, but I don't know if I'd have to balls to stick around. (bwg)
By 
Rinda Elliott, at
7:59 AM
I may have annoyed the sex positive people...somehow. I was emailing back and forth with a lady, asking questions. She asked for my phone number--and when I replied, I spaced putting it in. I literally had eleven screens up, multi-tasking. But, she got annoyed. So, it looks like...if I go to Seattle in October, it won't be as a speaker on a panel.
I may go and lounge around the hotel, chatting with people, watching the world go by.
Sex positive parties. If someone started those in Missouri, they'd probably get the building burned to the ground.
By CarysWeldonblog, at
8:09 AM
