Month: January 2013

Poly makes the cover in Calgary

Fast Forward WeeklyFast Forward Weekly is a progressive newspaper distributed to 1,300 coffee shops, restaurants, stores, and other locations around Calgary, Alberta. A couple weeks ago, a story on polyamory made it to the cover, along with the words "POLYAMORY IS NORMAL."

The article, entitled "It takes more than two," profiles several poly folks from Calgary and includes a few quotes from a Calgary sexologist.

Grant Shiels, a man in a triad, shares an analogy about the abundance of love within open relationships:

Making room on his calendar for three people is a challenge, Shiels acknowledges, but he disputes the common argument that, love being a finite commodity, polyamorous people will inevitably get less of it from their partners. Finding the time for his partners may be difficult, but finding the love isn't.

"Sometimes I use the analogy of, if I were to have only one child, that would be great, I would love that child unconditionally and unreservedly -- but if I had three or four children, would that change anything? In fact, I would say I'm blessed even more for having that much love and dynamic in my life."

Read the rest at Fast Forward Weekly.

Poly man helps others realize their potential

Robert McGareyThe University of Texas at Austin's student magazine, Orange, recently featured a profile of Robert McGarey, an openly poly man who founded The Human Potential Center in Austin in 1986.

While studying for his master's degree in humanistic and transpersonal psychology, McGarey faced difficulty explaining his ideal relationship structure to girlfriends. He spent a few years working for a computer firm, but felt he was destined for something more.

After a dream spurred him to move to Austin, he founded The Human Potential Center, a non-profit organization focused on helping people become more empowered, loving, and "vibrantly alive." The organization hosts movie nights, meditation sessions, potluck dinners, and more.

McGarey recalled a particularly moving memory he had from a recent outing hosted for poly individuals, where they asked everyone to map their intertwining relationships on a large sheet of butcher paper. "It looked like spaghetti all over the page, but then you realize that, in most cases, these are all loving, honest and committed relationships," McGarey says. "And to me, that's beautiful."

McGarey lives in Austin with his three long-term "sweeties."

Read the rest at Orange.