For all the years I have lived in Muncie, I had no clue there was a swingers club in this small university city, but there is. Muncie's swingers club is called Klub Layden and recently relocated to a former school building.
Swingers clubs do not hold activities you would see in the Vince Vaughn movie "Swingers;" they hold activities more like the ones in films that star Jenna Jameson.
NASCA International, an association of swing clubs and services, defines swinging as "social and sexual intercourse with someone other than a mate, boyfriend or girlfriend," which is "primarily an activity of couples."
Klub Layden has been in Muncie for almost four years. It had a three-year lease at White River Plaza, but David Robertson, the Plaza's owner, did not renew it this summer.
So, the private club moved to Muncie's south side - specifically to the abandoned building on Memorial Drive that formerly housed the Lincoln School - without the knowledge of the members of the surrounding community. The new location is near residential areas, many local hangouts for children, and several churches.
Ultimately, there are three questions that need to be asked by everyone in the community: (1) Are the activities of the club immoral enough to cause illegal activity in the area? (2) Will the club corrupt the minors of the area? (3) Should a place like this exist?
Questions of morality regarding sex - especially about enterprises like strip clubs and swingers clubs - have always been asked by society.
I believe that prostitution and drug dealing in Muncie will not increase with the introduction of Klub Layden. However, the fact that the club is now located in a more populated area should concern the residents and businesses near the club.
There is no doubt in my mind that the "alternative lifestyle" that Klub Layden endorses is not accepted by many people in the Muncie area, but that should not stop the business from operating.
According to its Web site - which should not be viewed by those who object to sexual material - the club only operates on Friday and Saturday nights. Most of the patrons of private clubs like this one are married and are in the upper-middle class. There is no question of the admittance of minors, since to attend the club, one must be over the age of 18.
Also, the club does not sell alcohol and only allows people over the age of 21 to drink alcohol on the premises. From accounts of the adults living in the area, it's hard to tell that something like Klub Layden is even located on Memorial Drive.
However, should a club like Klub Layden have any place in today's society? Even though the activities are immoral in the eyes of religious people and strict moralists, local governments have not closed this club - or the 500 others like it operating in the United States.
The club has something to offer its clientele: a place for married and single people interested in this activity to meet other people interested in new and on-the-edge sexual experiences.
Does it break the law? No.
Is it immoral? Well, I don't really know.
In this day and age, there are known and fatal consequences to such sexual activities, but we don't have the right to keep people from expressing their inherent right to have encounters with people of their choosing, as long as they're obeying the law.
Write to Matthew at
mlstephenson@bsu.edu
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