Grab from the Cherry Pit's website.

Duncanville's Cherry Pit plans to fight the ordinance.

Each weekend across North Texas, dozens of swinger parties and clubs offer the possibility of breaking sexual taboos. The parties are usually low-key and behind closed doors. From the outside, they look no different from any large dinner party, potluck or dance.

Inside, though, there's the possibility of sex with any willing partner.

The "lifestyle," or so it's called by the people who participate, gained attention this month when Duncanville city officials moved to shut down The Cherry Pit, a 3,400-square-foot brick house that has hosted swinger parties. On any given night, as many as 50 people attend parties there – with more than 100 on holidays. The social club has no business license. The suggested donation is $30 to $50 per couple.

A city official was planning to visit the club Friday night to notify its owners of the city's new sex club ordinance that recently went into effect. The city said the official would return today to issue citations if the ordinance is being violated.

On Friday night, the house where The Cherry Pit operates was quiet and virtually undistinguishable from other neighborhood homes except for four orange cones at the ends of the driveway. About a dozen cars were parked in the front or side of the house, and some media was parked nearby. A man on the property monitoring the cars said he had not seen a code enforcement officer Friday night.

The city's ordinance states that the operation and maintenance of a sex club is unlawful and a public nuisance. Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $2,000.

"The ordinance passed on Nov. 6 is a nuisance ordinance, and any building official can abate any nuisance," said Jeanne Fralicks, assistant city manager. Ms. Fralicks said the public nuisance involves sex. "If it has the appearance that that is taking place, we will take action," she said.

City staff members said they started getting complaints about The Cherry Pit about 10 years ago. They said they have received dozens of complaints from neighbors. During that time, police issued a few parking tickets and open storage citations.

Edward Klein, attorney for the club, said the city is taking a "shotgun" approach to enforcement. "We'll weigh our options," he said.

Julie M. Norris, 29, who runs The Cherry Pit, said she and her partner, Jim Trulock, plan to fight the ordinance. She said she can't help but notice that no one ever complains about street parking by people at a nearby church or high school.

There "are people who can't restrain from meddling. They have a need to judge others and impose their beliefs," said Ms. Norris. "A lot of people get this conception of swingers that is negative. I want people to realize that the people who come to my house are attorneys, cops, teachers. They're upper middle class, mostly married people. They're great people, who happen to enjoy the swinging lifestyle."

In reaction to the ordinance, clubgoers say they are making changes. To avoid parking problems, they will car pool. For now, they will curtail sex.

"We're all planning on being there. If that means we have to play cards for the next three months, we'll make our donations and we'll sit there and play poker. This is all about our rights," said Dawn Burton, who regularly visits The Cherry Pit.

Duncanville's sex club ordinance has sparked a debate about such parties and their popularity. The people who want to shut down the swinger parties "want to project their morality on everyone else," Ms. Burton said. "It disagrees with their idea of right and wrong."

Several city leaders said they were legislating the parking problem the club creates, not the sex that goes on inside. At a recent City Council meeting, city attorney Bob Hager said: "It's not the fact that a person in this community has a certain lifestyle. It's when the activity reaches a certain notoriety."

"We are not addressing what activities are going on. What we're addressing is the traffic," said Johnette Jameson, a city councilwoman who lives in the neighborhood, a somewhat secluded and wooded area near the Boy Scouts' Camp Wisdom.

Swingers' clubs are usually considered right on the edge of acceptable behavior, said Dr. Richard Hawkins, a sociology professor at Southern Methodist University.

"These swingers are engaging in activity that is not illegal. It may be deviant and immoral, but it's not illegal in the state of Texas," he said. "The fact that there wasn't a major uproar for quite some time makes me think it wasn't much of a big deal. The less community reaction you have indicates this is on a boundary."

Private sex between consenting adults is legal in Texas – but it becomes unlawful if it occurs in a place where an outsider can view it and become outraged. So far, no charges involving sex have been made against The Cherry Pit, police said.

The issue of sex clubs is clear-cut for Bill Johnson of the Christian-based American Decency Association in Michigan. "As we see these types of clubs emerging ... this is very troubling," he said. "There are many things that will surround a club like this that are not positive.

"You can be certain this will foster sexually transmitted diseases, adultery, broken relationships, and the list goes on and on. Whenever you have individuals involved in wife swapping, common sense makes it very clear that this is nothing but unwholesome and damaging," he said.

Although the Internet has made it easier to find these groups, the sexually uninhibited have always been out there. In earlier decades, there were "key parties," where participants fished keys out of a bowl to determine their sexual partners. And there was "wife swapping" among consenting couples.

Now, swingers have a trade organization, conventions and travel tours. In addition, anyone interested in something steamy can do a search on the Internet and sign up. There are events hosted each weekend, offering a chance to meet with like-minded individuals.

There are rules for swinger parties. People can't just show up – they need to have signed up earlier, have been referred or know someone at the party.

At The Cherry Pit, people were required to make reservations, offer a referral or introduce themselves to the host prior to the party. "If they just show up at my door, I say, 'Here is my phone number. Call me next week and we'll get to know each other,' " Ms. Norris said.

In general, the guidelines point out that hygiene is very important and participants should dress appropriately. People are also cautioned that they should be discreet and not ask for last names or what someone does for a living.

Food and soft drinks are available at most parties, and visitors bring side dishes and dessert. People know it's BYOB and BYOC – bring your own booze and bring your own condoms. Everybody has the right to say no if they are asked to "play."

The set-up changes from site to site. Most include basic bedrooms for the players. Some offer fantasy settings, including beds behind curtains that allow the occupants either privacy or the chance to be exhibitionists. Often, there are group rooms with several beds or a pit.

Swingers say they often wind up with close, nonsexual relationships after attending the events. A 2000 study examining the swinger lifestyle reflected this, as well.

"Although swingers often become close friends with other swinging couples, there are rules restricting emotional involvement with nonspousal partners," said the study's author, Dr. Curtis Bergstrand, faculty chairman of the sociology department at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky.

The study found that a swinger "is typically white, middle-aged, with two years of college education, previously divorced, in a current marriage that has lasted 10.5 years, and has been in the swinging scene about five years."

Participants say the friendships they make are as important as the sex.

"My friends are friends first. Nothing that happens at any party, at any get-together, anywhere, is guaranteed," said CaRee Pearcy, 38. Ms. Pearcy gives parties herself at different, often rented, sites twice a month. She lets her attendees know about details after they sign up on her Web site.

"When I got into it, I did because it was something new, something interesting. I'd heard about it, but I never thought it existed. It's bigger than I thought it was," said David Costello, who frequents several clubs in North Texas. "It's a totally different type of friendship, and most people not in this lifestyle cannot fathom this type of friendship."

Staff writer Holly Yan contributed to this report.