House of Scorpio > How to Attend

All HoS events require membership to attend -- except the monthly Taste The Rainbow mixer and roughly bi-monthly Fierce! dance party. Memberships are instant, and don't require prior approval. Once you're logged in as a member, any events and ticket levels you're qualified for will appear on the membership page.

Before buying tickets, read each event invite carefully: they all specify additional requirements for attendance (dress code, PAL, etc). For ALL events, you must first read our code of conduct, as it always applies. If you are not familiar with our rules when you arrive, you risk being turned away at the door...even if you have tickets. There are NO REFUNDS or event credits unless we cancel an event. All ticket sales are final.

In addition to membership, all play events require individual approval (event invites specify if/when that applies). Please follow the steps outlined below.

You can buy tickets at the door, but it's faster in advance, since your info is on file in the member system. Event registration remains active throughout the event unless we reach capacity. We highly recommend the Wild Apricot app for fastest on-the-go ticket purchase, available for Apple and Android devices.

We have coat racks and shelves for your personal items, but no staffed coat check. No BYOB, please.

Any relevant news, queries or urgent updates are posted here, as well as to the Facebook pages for each event. Join the group and RSVP to the events there to get these updates. It's also the best way to connect to other guests, if needed.

FAQs

Do I really need a membership? I just want to attend one party! Yes, you do. However, membership is instant, doesn't require prior approval, and doesn't have a minimum duration requirement. Base membership level is $5 (Buddy), though you may want to consider the $15 level (Friend), as it offers the ability to add two guests to your registration and $5 off all events in the sign-up month.

Do I need to be approved to attend? Only if the event invite specifies this requirement. Each invite has a "HoS rules" section on the bottom that outlines all requirements. Currently, there are no scheduled events that require prior approval.

How does the monthly membership work? Memberships activate instantly for the calendar month during which you sign up. So whether you sign up on the 1st or the 20th of the month, that membership will end on 30th or 31st and renew on the 1st of the following month. You have to be an active member both in the month that you purchase and attend an event. We host 5-7 events each month, so if you're interested in one, we recommend signing up as early in the month as you can, so you then have the ability to check out all other events, as well.

Do monthly memberships get prorated mid-month? No, the cost is always the same, $5-55, regardless of when in the calendar month you purchase a membership. It's done this way because of the instant ticket discounts you receive when you sign up at $15+.

Play event approval instructions

- Only play events require prior approval before tickets are made available in our membership system (whether or not approval is needed for attendance will be noted in each event invite alongside all other requirements). Since all play events also require PALs, you can only apply for approval when you have a PAL ready to vouch for you. Please CC your PAL when you apply.
 
- Email us with *direct links* (not just name or handle!) to yours and your PAL's *most complete* social media profiles. No scene profiles, please: we don't care about your kinks. We care about your personality, political & social views, and what you do in the world: House of Scorpio is a community first and foremost. Facebook is best; OKCupid is OK; FetLife or Instagram only if your profile contains the info we just named; LinkedIn will make us judge you.
 
- It is essential that your profile has your *real name & photos* (same name you'll be submitting as part of your online ticket purchase once you're approved). Your name and email are stored in our secured membership database and not shared with anyone, but are required to be on file: we must know the real human we're dealing with, for safety and protection of all members. You can use any name you prefer at the events themselves, as long as we have your real name linked to your ticket purchase.
 
- If your main social media profile is locked down for privacy, you can either unlock it until you get approval or send a screenshot of how you see your profile. If you don't use socials, you can send pictures of you & your PAL plus info about yourselves -- but remember that we have to see a match between your email/names/screen names, so we can know it's really you.
 
- Once you're members, you and your PAL can also get approved in person at our events. Our host and event manager, Fox, handles in-person approvals -- you can ask the door person to locate them, if needed. We will still need to verify your real names in person.
 
- Please allow at least two work days for approvals (i.e. if you email on Friday, don't expect to hear back until Tuesday or Wednesday). If you email us within 24 hours of an event, you will likely not be approved in time to attend. Don't send emails asking about your status unless it's been at least four work days since you applied. Tip: don't wait for a specific party. If you have a permanent partner, get approved now, and you can attend any event in the future without the stressful last-minute approval wait.
 
- Approval requests anywhere other than our email inbox will not be considered or replied to.
 
- Even if you've attended previous HoS events as someone's guest, you are not considered "approved" until you go through this process.
 
- Once you're approved, play event tickets will appear on the member ticket page alongside all other events. If you've been approved, but the tickets aren't showing up, please reach out to make sure we've updated your approval status in the membership system.

Approvals and gender balance

In the heteronormative world, it tends to be the man taking the initiative for sexual exploration. In our world, we *strongly* prefer that the female PAL of a male/female pairing reach out: that way we know for sure she's interested and not just being dragged along. In everything we do, it's women, queer & trans folks to the front, and if hetero men or couples have a problem with that, they can skip our parties. In fact, if you don't understand the basic concept of feminism/gender equality and why it's painfully necessary for ALL genders, don't bother applying.

COVID and other respiratory diseases safety plan

- We will never oversell our events. Expect a lot of room in our 5k sq ft Loft.
- Proof of vaccination is required to attend and will be added to your member profile for future check-ins. We strongly recommend the official NY State Excelsior app, but you can also show your original vaccination card and photo ID (no copies of either).
- Contact information is collected for all guests in case it's needed for contact tracing in an unlikely case of infection.
- Two hospital-grade UV air purifiers (Airpura UV 600) will cycle the air, each rated for 2k sq ft/hour turnover.
- No masks are required for our vaccinated & ventilated gatherings, but you're welcome to still wear yours if you'd like.
- All G&S staff have been vaccinated, but may still choose to mask up as well.