Brooklyn sex club Hacienda known as ‘SoHo House of sex’ is accused of fostering culture of rape at townhouses that played host to round-the-clock orgies and burlesque shows

A notorious Brooklyn sex club known as the “SoHo House of sex” has been accused of promoting rape culture within its membership community for years.

Members of Hacienda, a community run by married polyamorous couple Andrew and Beth Sparksfire, have accused the club of sexual and physical violence, according to a new newspaper. New York Times research.

The establishment, which costs $130 a year to join and hosts a plethora of orgies and sex parties, operates out of a brownstone building in Bushwick.

Jennifer Fisher, a former member who lived in one of the mansions, claimed she was raped by a guest at a sex party in 2012. At the time, she feared that reporting it would mean going against the “kinky” community. which she enjoyed.

Fisher told NYT: ‘How do you call the police to report something that happened at a sex party? They came and said, ‘Okay, which deviant should I arrest first?’.”

Ten members claimed they were also physically or sexually abused at Hacienda and raised concerns about the “consent policy.”

Hacienda has vehemently denied the newspaper’s allegations.

Two other women said they were slammed into walls by partygoers, while three others said they reported intimidating behavior from other guests at a sex party.

The suspects faced little to no consequences for their actions, the victims said.

One specific Hacienda resident was accused of violently beating four people during sex and removing condoms without consent, known as stealth.

His behavior was subsequently discussed at a meeting with a Hacidena organizer, who decided not to take action against him, instead denouncing the women in an email to the Sparksfire’s.

“All it takes is for one motivated individual at one of these ‘symposiums’ to seek the help of a lawyer and sue us. They discuss issues of non-consent and risky behavior,” the email said, according to the NYT.

The suspect then moved into one of the New York brownstones, where another resident, Kristin Stadelmann-Ferreira, accused him of raping her in a room in another townhome on Troutman Street.

Stadelmann-Ferreira said the man forced her to have sex with her while she wore a tampon and was known for his violent beatings.

She said she was in a relationship with him and was not acknowledged when she reported the incident to higher-ups.

Stadelmann-Ferreira suffers from schizophrenia and suffered a breakdown after the incident with the man. She ran naked through the street around the mansion and was hospitalized for it.

In a statement, sex club leaders said she never came forward with those allegations and that they were there for her after she suffered a nervous breakdown shortly afterwards.

It was only in 2015 that the man was removed from the club after another woman accused him of rape.

Its co-founder, Kenneth Play, who was previously named “the world’s biggest sex hacker” by GQ Magazine, has also been accused of sexual misconduct at Hacienda over the years.

In response to the allegations, Play and the Sparkfires denied any wrongdoing.

“We strongly deny any view that Hacienda is an organization that harbors or protects individuals who do not consent or violate fellow members in any way,” they said.

Play, who has spoken openly about the importance of consent, was also accused of violating the consent of an intoxicated woman.

In response to the claim, Hacienda management said her accusations were “baseless and untrue,” but Play has since been banned from at least three other sex parties in the Big Apple, according to The New York Times.

“I wholeheartedly support the victims of abuse and never want to discredit a woman’s experience or stifle her voice,” Play said in response to the woman’s accusation.

“I take comfort in knowing that the facts and the truth are on my side,” he added.

The co-founders acknowledged everyone’s case, but emphasized that the club has strict rules in place about their members’ consent.

“Our organization is centered around the importance of enthusiastic and ongoing consent, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for any violations of these standards,” they said in a statement to The New York Times.

In response to the allegations, Hacienda told DailyMail.com: ‘While there are unfortunate cases in the sex-positive community, we have very specific rules and procedures in place to keep safety at the forefront.’

‘Incidents may be rare, but they are taken seriously and dealt with quickly. Anyone who is quick to judge an entire population of consenting adult choices should remember that free speech, within appropriate limits, should be a right afforded to all of us.”

Hacienda’s website features a ‘consent’ page detailing the rules and standards for its members to help create a ‘sex-positive environment’.

“It is your responsibility to give consent – ​​to ask before touching someone, to pay attention to their body language, to check in,” the website says.

“It is also your responsibility to decide whether or not to give someone permission if he or she asks you to do something.”

The club also makes members go through a consent decree and has ‘guards’ standing by to ensure the rules are followed.

The club’s website has instructions on how to properly report a consent violation.

The guidelines suggest that the victim reports the incident within a week of the incident before they and the other parties report to the ‘Hacienda Consent team’.

Once that’s done, the team will continue to investigate the allegations and decide on next steps, which could result in a verbal warning, temporary or permanent ban.

Dischord chats, Google Docs and Facebook pages reviewed by The New York Times showed partygoers sharing names of alleged “consent violators” with the idea of ​​protecting each other.

Members said that in response to these incidents, leadership hired an attorney, who was also a member of Hacienda, who offered meditation services in return.

Past and current members have thought differently about the club, labeling it as a safe space, but also recognized their reluctance to speak negatively about the club for fear of damaging their enjoyable lifestyle.

Effy Blue, a former member, said that “these spaces are the opposite of black and white.”

“It takes the social awareness of a brain surgeon to leave the room unscathed and never hurt anyone and never get hurt,” Blue added.

Even after the events she went through while under the club’s charge, Stadelmann-Ferreira also praised Hacienda.

‘We are pioneers. But it is important that we point out where leadership has gone wrong in the past. They can learn from our mistakes,” she said.

Unlike other popular sex clubs in New York City, Hacienda has taken its experience to the next level and attempted to become the all-exclusive “SoHo House of Sex.”

It first arose years ago during a sex party at Andrew’s Brooklyn mansion. Previously he was a security analyst from England.

According to its website, Play has sold $697 worth of online courses on improving sexual techniques and has been featured in more than 100 news articles.

Since then, Andrew has turned the party into a full-blown career and business venture with three Hacienda locations in townhomes in Bushwick, along with a villa in New Orleans.

According to the website, most properties owned by Andrew can house more than twenty members.

Membership rates are $130 per year and new members must sign up with another interested person, or have a reference from a current member, the site details.

Hacienda also rents their homes to others to host parties, and at least one of the Brooklyn homes has a basement known as a “sex dungeon.”

The club also organizes its own workshops such as ‘Daddy Dom Daycare’, black light parties and a ‘Mid Week Scandal’, where singles and couples are invited for an evening of ‘hang & bang’.

“Our goal is to create an environment where people can learn, come together and enjoy and explore their sexuality responsibly,” the club’s founders said.