A notorious Brooklyn sex club known as the ‘SoHo House of Sex’ has been accused of promoting rape culture for years in its members-only community.
Members of Hacienda, a community run by married polyamorous couple Andrew and Beth Sparksfire, have accused the club of sexual and physical abuse, according to a new New York Times investigation.
The establishment, which costs $130 a year to join and hosts a host of raunchy orgies and sex parties, operates out of a brownstone in Bushwick.
Jennifer Fisher, a former member who lived in one of the townhouses, claimed she was raped by a guest at a sex party in 2012. At the time, she feared it would mean she was going against the “kinky” community that she enjoyed.
Fisher told the NYT: ‘How do you call the police to report something that happened at a sex party? They came and said, “OK, which deviant shall I arrest first?”.
Ten members claimed they had also been physically or sexually abused at the Hacienda and raised concerns about its ‘consent’ policies.
The Hacienda has strongly denied the allegations made by the newspaper.
Members of Hacienda, a sex community run by married polyamorous couple Andrew and Beth Sparksfire (pictured), have accused the club of sexual and physical abuse
Founders and co-founder Kenneth Play acknowledged each person’s case, but insisted the club set strict rules on consent for their members. (Pictured: One of the sex club’s townhouses in Bushwick, Brooklyn)
A promotional photo of a rope bondage class run by Hacienda
Two other women said they were punched against the walls by party-goers, while three others said they reported intimidating behavior from other sex-party goers.
The people who were charged faced little or no consequences for their actions, the victims said.
A specific Hacienda resident was accused of violently beating four people during sex and removing condoms without consent, also known as stealthing.
His behavior was then addressed in a meeting with a Hacidena organizer who decided not to take action against him, but instead condemned the women in an email to Sparksfire’s.
“All it takes is for a motivated person at one of these ‘symposia’ to seek the advice of an attorney and sue us. They discuss issues of non-consent and risky behavior,” the email said, according to the NYT.
The accused then lived in one of New York’s brownstones, where another resident, Kristin Stadelmann-Ferreira, accused him of raping her in a room in another townhouse on Troutman Street.
Stadelmann-Ferreira said the man forced her to have sex with her while she was wearing a tampon and was known for his forceful slaps.
She said she was romantically involved with him and that when she reported the incident to higher ups, she was not acknowledged.
Stadelmann-Ferreira has schizophrenia and continued to have a breakdown after the incident with the man. She ran naked in the street around the terraced house and was hospitalized for it.
In a statement, sex club managers said she never came forward with these allegations and that they were there for her after she suffered a mental breakdown soon after.
It was only in 2015 that the man was removed from the club after another woman accused him of rape.
The co-founder, Kenneth Play, who was previously named the ‘world’s biggest sex hack’ by GQ Magazine, was also accused of sexual misconduct during his years at Hacienda.
In response to the allegations, Play and the Sparkfires denied any wrongdoing.
“We vehemently deny any notion of Hacienda as an organization that harbors or protects individuals who do not practice consent or violate other members in any way,” they said.
The club has members go through a consent orientation and has ‘guardians’ on hand to ensure the rules are followed (stock image)
Co-founder Kenneth Play (pictured), previously named the ‘world’s biggest sex hack’ by GQ Magazine, was accused of sexual misconduct over his years at Hacienda
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 allegation, Hacienda management said her claims 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 stand with victims of abuse and would never 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 each person’s case, but insisted that the club has set strict rules on consent for their members.
“Our organization is centered around the importance of enthusiastic and continuous consent, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for any violation of these standards,” they said in a statement to The New York Times.
In response to the allegations, Hacienda told DailyMail.com: “Although regrettable cases do happen in the sex-positive community, we have very specific rules and procedures in place to keep safety at the forefront.”
“Incidents, while rare, are taken seriously and dealt with promptly. Anyone who is quick to judge the choices of an entire population of consenting adults should remember that free speech within proper limits should be a right that we are all given .’
On Hacienda’s website, there is a ‘consent’ page that outlines its rules and standards for its members to help create a ‘sex-positive environment’.
“It’s your responsibility to practice consent — to ask before you touch someone, to pay attention to their body language, to check in,” the website said.
‘It is also your responsibility to decide whether to give permission to someone when they ask you to do something.’
The club also makes members go through a consent orientation and has ‘guardians’ on hand to ensure the rules are followed.
There are instructions on the club’s website for how to correctly report a breach of consent.
The guidelines suggest that the victim submit their report within a week of the incident before they and the other parties give their accounts to the ‘Hacienda Consent Team’.
Once that’s done, the team continues to investigate the allegations and decide on next steps, which could result in a verbal warning, a temporary or permanent ban.
Dischord chats, Google docs and Facebook pages reviewed by The New York Times revealed that partygoers share names of alleged ‘consent violators’ with the idea of protecting each other.
Members said that in response to these incidents, management brought in a lawyer who was also a Hacienda member, who offered meditation services in return.
Membership rates run at $130 per year, and new members must either apply with another interested person or have a reference from a current member, the website states. (stock image)
Past and present members have felt differently about the club, branding it a safe space, but have also acknowledged their reluctance to speak negatively about the club for fear of damaging their enjoyed lifestyle.
Effy Blue, a former member said that “these rooms are the opposite of black and white.”
“You need the social awareness of a brain surgeon to leave the room unscathed and never hurt anyone and never be hurt,” Blue added.
Even after the events she endured while under the club’s care, Stadelmann-Ferreira also praised the Hacienda.
‘We are pioneering. But it is important that we point out where management 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 elevated its experience and attempted to become the ‘SoHo House of Sex’ that is all exclusive.
It first surfaced years ago during a sex party at Andrew’s Brooklyn townhouse. He was previously a security analyst from England.
According to his website, Play has gone on to sell $697 in online courses on improving sexual techniques and has appeared in more than 100 news articles.
Since then, Andrew turned the party into a career and business enterprise with three Hacienda locations in Bushwick townhouses along with a villa in New Orleans.
According to the website, most of the properties owned by Andrew are capable of housing more than two dozen members.
Membership rates run at $130 per year, and new members must either apply with another interested person or have a reference from a current member, the website states.
The Hacienda also rents out their townhouses for others to host parties, and at least one of the Brooklyn homes has a basement known as a ‘sex dungeon’.
The club also hosts their own workshops such as ‘Daddy Dom Daycare’, black light parties and a ‘Mid Week Scandal’ which invites singles and couples for a night to ‘hang & bang’.
“Our goal is to create an environment where people can learn, gather, and responsibly enjoy and explore their sexuality,” the club’s founders said.