A poly friend of mine sent me this article written by Forrest Wilder in the Texas Observer last week.
A group of Amarillo swingers who have been privately (key word here) exercising their right to engage in consensual sex are being stalked and relentlessly chastised by a militant-style religious group known as Repent Amarillo. The zealots tout themselves as a "the special forces of spiritual warfare" and are on a mission to "shine a light on [the] darkness" invading their town.
As I read the article, I held my breath. It never ceases to amaze me, the blatant intolerance that pervades our society, our communities, and the great state of Texas. One would think that, in this year 2010, we would have by now made peace with the notion that we are all free to construct our lives the way we deem valuable and appropriate to our situations and lifestyles, so long as no emotional or physical harm is being done to anyone as a result. This includes swingers' right to their lifestyle practices and to religious fundamentalist's prerogative to judge those who do not conform to their ideals.
But spiritual judgment and censorship of private practices are two very different things. Because just as it would not be okay for swingers to loiter outside the recreational venues where the members of Repent Amarillo spend their free time, and insist that the religious organization whose practices they protest behave in a way that is in accordance with those swingers' particular values (perhaps by insisting they have an orgy with their next door neighbors?) it is certainly not okay for Repent Amarillo to blatantly attempt to shut down a business that indulges those values in a safe and judgment-free environment.
But Repent Amarillo doesn't care about the freedom of people who believe and behave differently than they do. They only care about saving souls. And it is not surprising that the group's leader, David Grisham, has a checkered past, which he feels lends himself credibility to this particular crusade - "I was a sexual sinner before I got saved. I got saved seven years ago. Prior to that–yeah, I’ve been to strip joints and porn shops. I’ve done all kinds of things".
I'm not sure it lends Grisham any credibility, but it does afford us a glimpse into his humanity. But these recent acts force us to take into consideration the fact that he and his cohorts are blatantly attempting to stifle the sexual endeavors of a group of consenting adults without provocation or merit; only dissenting viewpoints and behaviors which are all within the reasonable scope of societal acceptance.
And this is not a very humanistic act, in this writer's opinion.
Comments (6)
Yes, coming from a very conservative christian background, I can just imagine their reasoning. They really believe they're doing what's best for everyone. They're very misguided, but also very committed to their cause. I wish I could say that things will someday change, but I'm not that optimistic.
Very good article and observation! I agree with you 100%!!
Sadie,
I'm a fellow Austinite (although not a swinger) and I am upset by Repent Amarillo, too. Thank you for speaking out. These people are not just opposed to open relationships. Their list of enemies includes homosexuals, women's health clinics and other Christian denominations. Of course, my own spiritual practice is targeted in their plans, too.
Anyway, I thank you for making your voice heard. Keep up the good work.
Bright blessings.
It's people like this, who deem themselves worthy to pass judgment on the lifestyle that my wife and I lead, that reaffirms our decision to be fairly closeted about our lifestyle and carefully choose where and with whom we play with.
You rock, Sadie!
We Northerners speculate that when the Spaniards passed thru Texas the Holy Inquisition fell off their jackasses and took root.
With all that S P A C E down there it's seems there is still little room to move.
My husband and I are one of the swinging couples targeted in Amarillo. We were there at the NYE party when the showed up on 12/31/08 for the first time. We tried to go back to your local club many times but Repent Amarillo was always there, videoing us and taking photos of our license plates, looking through our car windows to get personal information, etc. Many of my friends had RA call their families and work places to say they had family and employees who were swingers. They accused us of doing drugs and having sex with minors at the club. And even though the club tried to move to other locations for parties, RA would find out where it was and show up. The police would not help either and saw nothing wrong with RA trying to "save" us. This spring finally put the nail in the coffin and Route 66 Swingers Club shut down. It's sad to think that RA won and Amarillo no longer has a swinger club. We are in the process of moving to Oklahoma City where swingers are more tolerated.
What do you think?
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