I've only lived in Amarillo for two years now and I thought I'd gotten to know this city pretty well, but it looks like I've still got a lot to learn. I had no idea that Amarillo had a group of "swingers" who have their own club -- the Route 66 Swingers Club. That's pretty amazing for a city that seems to have a church on every street corner.
How do I know this? Well, a group of ultra-fundamentalists (pictured above) spent their New Year's Eve picketing the group, instead of partying with their family and friends like normal people do. The fundies were a group called Repent Amarillo. This group was joined in their picketing by another group from the Arena of Life Cowboy Church (I swear I'm not making that up -- that's the church's real name).
It seems the Route 66 Swingers Club had rented a building in downtown Amarillo so their members could get together for a BYOB New Year's Eve party. According to the Potter County Sheriff's office, the group was not breaking any law, and had gotten all the necessary licenses and inspections. They are not investigating the group for anything at all, saying, "We have no indication of any criminal violation at this point."
The party's organizer said, "Anybody can rent a building and have a BYOB dance. We're doing everything by law. What else could be happening? There's no place to (have sex there). That's not going to happen." She went on to say if some of the participants wanted to go to a hotel and have sex after the party, then that is their personal business.
Personally, I don't know what all the fuss is about. This group is very low-key (I doubt if 99% of Amarilloans even knew they existed), and they are not breaking any laws. They should have the right to live their lives as they wish, without being harrassed by jealous fundamentalists.
Why do these fundie nuts think they have the right to run everyone else's life? It reminds me of a quote on a fellow blogger's masthead (Badtux, the Snarky Penguin) that says, "Religious fundamentalists are motivated by the sneaking suspicion that someone, somewhere, is having fun -- and that this must be stopped."
These people need to get a life of their own, and leave everyone else alone.
The problem with religious fundamentalists is that they can't seem to mind their own business. I think that our fundamentalists over here should relocate to the middle east where so many of the other fundamentalists live and they can just have a good ol' time fighting all they want...leaving the rest of us to live our lives in peace.
ReplyDeleteThe thing with this club and these people is that they were and are harming no one. They are doing nothing illegal. They are all consenting adults doing what consenting adults want to do behind closed doors.
I wonder how many of these Fundamentalists have had affairs (behind their spouses' backs) then stood next to them at church the next morning sending out lots of hate to "sinners" who are actually experiencing and applying "trust" and consentual love and sharing face to face.....there is no need to sneak around and cheat or have affairs when you are both involved and aware of the situation.
The key here is...live and let live. JUDGE NOT LEST YE BE JUDGED YOURSELF...right? Or do we pick and choose.......yep pretty much.
What I love about this story is the fact that the publicity brought on by the protesters will probably increase membership in the swingers club. Ha.
ReplyDeleteSwingers are everywhere, and some of them even hold right-wing, fundamental Christian beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI know, because some of them are my friends. However, despite their religious beliefs, these particular right-wingers do hold the tenet against judgment of others.
I do agree that the club will likely get a jump in membership inquiries over the news coverage.
i will be there tonight with the repent Amarillo group, and i will not be there to judge, but to pray for people who need it.
ReplyDeletein the eighties, when this swinger party stuff got very popular, my mom and dad got into this life style. i was only three when they started going to these parties. within 4 years their 12 year marriage was destroyed, and a twenty year anger began - both blaming the other for causing and allowing the swinger life to enter their family.
there were other trust issues, of course, that lead to their divorce, but both of them used adultry as a reason for the dissallusion of their marrage.
i was 5 when they were divorced, and have been a part of their argument as to "who was to blame" ever since (play violin music here).
the reason i am attending the "protest" is to pray for their realization of the damage this life can cause. and if that seems judgmental to those who are not at the "protest" - people who jump to conclusions because they "know how those darn Christians are" - then so be it.
As a couple of ex-Amarilloans (???) active in the Lifestyle, we are glad to hear about the club and not surprised at all about the protest!
ReplyDeletecome on people just let em fuck..
ReplyDeleteit's been almost a year and repent amarillo is still outside this building harrassing couples. they have gone as far as to have people fired from their jobs. i don't think swinging is any different then gays and lesbians lifestyle and don't see how someone can be fired this is a moral issue and this group it making it politicial. if you want to know more check out repentamarillo.net its a group against repentamarilo and the tactics to close this group of lifestylers down.
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