Military court accepts NCSF’s amicus brief in support of consensual non-monogamy

In March, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom filed an amicus ("friend of the court") brief in a case involving a marine who engaged in a consensual threesome and was later convicted of adultery, attempted consensual sodomy, and indecent conduct. The brief argued that prosecutors on the case were ignoring the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court decision in which it was decided that moral judgment is not a basis for criminalizing consensual sexual conduct.

In April, the Navy and Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals accepted NCSF's amicus brief.

Dick Cunningham, NCSF's Legal Counsel, said, "This is an important brief in support of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision -- Lawrence v. Texas. Prosecutors and courts have no right to impose a narrow view of sexual morality on consenting adults."

To see the full legal documents on this case, click here.

Free jealousy workshop at Feelmore510!

Guest speaker Kathy Labriola, the author of The Jealousy Workbook: Exercises and Insights for Managing Open Relationships, is teaching a free workshop on Monday evening at Feelmore510 in downtown Oakland! Here's more info about it.

MANAGING JEALOUSY IN OPEN RELATIONSHIPS
Monday, April 21st 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Feelmore510 Adult Gallery
1703 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland (near 19th Street BART)

In this workshop, you will learn tools and techniques to help you deal with one of the main obstacles to happy and healthy open relationships: jealousy . You will learn how to accept your own jealousy and jealousy in your partner(s), and to manage it effectively, in ways that help you grow as a person and strengthen your romantic bonds, instead of creating anxiety and insecurity in your relationship(s).

Jealousy is a natural and normal reaction to a potentially threatening situation. If you have some tools and can work cooperatively with your partner, it can bring you closer together and make you stronger, in yourself , as well as in your relationships.

This workshop deconstructs jealousy to help you understand what and why certain situations and people prompt such distress, and will give you some practical tools to help you understand your jealousy and reduce it significantly.

A few of the topics covered are:

  • "Know your Jealousy Pie Chart: Managing the Fear, Anger, and Sadness of Jealousy"
  • "Understanding the Difference between Jealousy, Coveting, and Envy"
  • “Are you in Poly Hell?”
  • “What to do When your Partner is Jealous”
  • "What is Compersion and can it be cultivated?"

Kathy Labriola is a nurse, counselor, and hypnotherapist in private practice in Berkeley, California. Her mission is providing affordable mental health services to alternative communities. She has been a card-carrying bisexual and polyamorist for 40 years. She is the author of two books published by Greenery Press: Love in Abundance: A Counselor's Advice on Open Relationships and The Jealousy Workbook: Exercises and Insights for Managing Open Relationships.

To RSVP or for questions, contact events@feelmore510.com

TED talk with Dr. Meg Barker: rewriting the rules

Dr. Meg Barker is a writer, academic, therapist, and activist in the area of sex and relationships. They are a senior lecturer in psychology at the Open University and have published many academic books and papers, including The Bisexuality Report and Rewriting the Rules: An Integrative Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships.

Barker was asked to speak at TEDxBrighton, a local, self-organized event featuring live speakers. Barker's talk at TEDxBrighton was based off their book, Rewriting the Rules, so it is focused on ways we can re-examine our ideas about modern relationships. Check it out!

Find out more about Dr. Meg Barker on their Twitter account and blog.

Buy The Polyamorists Next Door today!

The Polyamorists Next Door: Inside Multiple-Partner Relationships and FamiliesDr. Eli Sheff's new book, The Polyamorists Next Door: Inside Multiple-Partner Relationships and Families, has been released -- and I encourage you to buy it today. Doing so can help it become a top seller in its category, which can lead to a less expensive paperback version and hopefully more mainstream recognition.

Eli Sheff is an important voice in the poly world. She was a guest on my radio show, Sex Out Loud, and has been on panels about polyamory, an expert on TV shows discussing polyamory, and a frequent source of quotes for mainstream articles exploring non-monogamy.

Sheff is one of the premiere experts on children in polyamorous families, and so The Polyamorists Next Door is a fascinating and important look at families:

In colorful and moving details, this book explores how polyamorous relationships come to be, grow and change, manage the ins and outs of daily family life, and cope with the challenges they face both within their families and from society at large. Using polyamorists own words, Dr. Elisabeth Sheff examines polyamorous households and reveals their advantages, disadvantages, and the daily lives of those living in them.

. . . This book provides information that will be useful for professionals with polyamorous clients, educators who wish to understand or teach about polyamory, and especially people who wish to better understand polyamory themselves or explain it to their potential partners, adult children, or in-laws.

Go buy The Polyamorists Next Door today to help push it to the top of its category -- where it belongs!