Sex, Love, and Relationships

Natja's Natterings provides this good word...

As emotionally confusing it is when someone rejects the political/social labels of ‘Bisexual, sexually fluid, queer or pansexual’ whether this decision is made because of ingrained self hatred, strict religious codes in their community or fear of homophobia by ‘coming out’ there something a bit worse than not accepting who or what you are, this is about not recognising the limits to your sexuality and how it might effect others around you.

Our laws should allow people to be true to themselves as long as the innocent aren't harmed. That is the only way they can be true to others.

Read the entire thing, which is mostly about being sexually polyamorous in a triad, but not necessarily having both partners maintaining a relationship with the unicorn.

Bring Poly Marriages Out of the Shadows

More anti-equality testimony in the Canadian poly trial should actually be seen as reason to bring polygamous marriage out of the shadows.

After conducting a worldwide statistical analysis, an American researcher found life expectancy decreased as the rate of polygamous practice increased, she testified here Thursday in a case testing Canada's law against polygamy.

Rose McDermott told a B.C. Supreme Court her study also found increased rates of maternal mortality, sex trafficking, female genital mutilation and domestic violence in such populations.

The response comes in reader comments...

Nice biased study. Have an answer and pick and choose the data you want to include to support the answer you want.

In a developed country like Canada if polygamy was open and socially acceptable (not the situation in Bountiful BC), then all these impacts dissappear.

The freedom to marry will help, not hurt.

Also of note is this comment...

It is a huge pet peeve of mine that the word "polygamy" is often used when "polygyny" or even "religious patriarchal polygyny" would be far more appropriate. I'm a young atheist woman who happens to have two boyfriends, both of whom happily agree to our set-up. If the three of us were to set up a home together and therefore be considered to be living together conjugally, I am not entirely sure how any of the harms that may stem from religious patriarchal polygyny would apply to our situation. Given that I know a fair number of other people with the same set-up, it is very bizarre to me that "polygamy" is now shorthand for a very specific type of polygyny.

There is an article about the potential numbers of Canadians who participate in various kinds of multi-partner conjugality here:

http://polyadvocacy.ca/30-to-1-or-500-to-1-we-dwarf-bountiful-why-is-it-about-them

The bigots who want to keep denying marriage equality will stereotype and broadbrush to serve their purposes.