West Philly Swingers Facing Shortage of Adventurous Couples

Penn’s favorite sex club masquerading as a dance group is struggling to stay alive. West Philly Swingers, which boasted hundreds of members at its peak during the '60s and '70s, has seen its membership dwindle over the last few decades.

College senior and WPS president Mildred Saperstein said this decrease in membership largely had to do with shifting social norms. 

“Because of the hookup culture we have now, couples will swap partners for one night, but they don’t like the commitment of weekly sessions,” she said. “Americans in general also like to keep their swinging sessions smaller, to like six couples or less, rather than the 40 or so couples that would attend meetings in our heyday.” 

Saperstein estimates that attendance at bimonthly PennKey parties—wherein Swingers place their PennCards in a bowl at the door and leave with a randomly-selected one that determines their partner for the night—has fallen by 88% in the past two decades.

WPS member and College sophomore Lazlo Bulgar also lamented shrinking membership. “Now that we can’t get massive bang sessions going, we’ve resorted to doing some weird kind of jazz dance. It’s kind of fun, but it’s not really what the club’s about.” 

If there are any adventurous Quakers reading this, make sure to check out West Philly Swingers. No one should be forced to put on dance performances instead of sharing their romantic partner with a large group of people. Help this group bring back the true meaning of "swinging."