Author: Tristan Taormino

Participate in Poly Party Weekend!

Need an excuse for a party this month? Look no further than Poly Party Weekend! For one weekend (or thereabouts -- June 15 through 17th), the organizers invite you to throw or attend a party celebrating polyamory. After last year's successful 16 parties, Poly Party Weekend is hoping to break their own record.

"Party" is a loose term and can encompass anything: a backyard barbeque, a game night, a picnic, a play party, a coffee house discussion group... whatever. As long as it brings poly folks together, it counts! Best of all, once you submit your event to the Poly Party Weekend website, it will be reviewed and approved for all to see.

Or, if you'd rather just attend someone else's shindig, check the listings on the website for local parties. Right now there are events listed for New Hampshire, Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington, as well as international parties in Winnipeg and Toronto.

Polyday 2012 is two weeks away!

Saturday, June 16th marks this year's Polyday, an annual one-day event in the UK. The event will be held at Dragon Hall, a community center in Central London. The day will begin with workshops and discussion sessions relating to non-monogamy, and in the evening, there will be music and socializing.

One of the organizers describes the event as follows:

Polyday is a one-day annual event where we get the chance to celebrate polyamory, and bring together our ever growing community. There will be a day of workshops, and an evening of chilled out socialising in a safe, comfortable space. It's an opportunity to be yourself without worrying about answering awkward questions about your relationships. You get the chance to meet a whole variety of poly people, find out how they do poly, and share the tales of your own adventures in the exciting lovescape we inhabit. It’s a great experience whether you’re new to polyamory, or a weathered old veteran of ethical non-monogamy.

Find out more at the Polyday website. Tickets are £15 can be purchased online.

My new radio show — Sex Out Loud!

I'm very excited to announce that I will be hosting a new radio show, Sex Out Loud, on the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network! The show debuts this Friday, June 1 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, 8 p.m. Eastern Time, and my first guest will be sex advice columnist and author Dan Savage!

Here's more about the show:

Sex Out Loud explores the world of sexuality from every angle. Tristan Taormino will interview leading authors, educators, artists and icons and give listeners an uncensored, inside look at alternative sexual practices and communities. She'll delve into topics from the popular to the taboo, including sex education and sexual health, erotic fantasies, BDSM, non-monogamy, the adult industry, and more. Tristan and her guests will also answer listeners' questions live . . . Upcoming guests include Kate Bornstein, Buck Angel, Jaclyn Friedman, Jessica Valenti, Bobbi Starr, Susie Bright, and her daughter, Aretha Bright.

. . . "Tristan Taormino is known around the world for her honest, down to earth, sex-positive advice, books, and films," says Karen Dana, Executive Producer of Sex Out Loud. "We are so thrilled that she's joining the VoiceAmerica Network, and her show is sure to inform and inspire our listeners."

. . . Sex Out Loud is sponsored by The Smitten Kitten, an award-winning progressive sex toy retailer; Astroglide, one of the leading personal lubricant brands; and We-Vibe, the most popular rechargeable vibrator for couples in the world.

Sex Out Loud will air live on Fridays at 5 p.m. Pacific, 8 p.m. Eastern on The VoiceAmerica Variety Channel. All shows will be available in my content library on The VoiceAmerica Variety Channel for on-demand and podcast download.

I hope you all will tune in!

Being “open” on Facebook

As a non-monogamous person, what's the best way to handle your relationship status on Facebook? Cunning Minx wrote a post on this issue. It's important to remember, she says, that Facebook's privacy settings are tricky and employers may be able to access sensitive information that you list on your profile. And those aren't the only people who might be able to see it. As she explains,

. . . the internet and social sites such as Facebook have indeed changed things. Your boyfriend’s public open status does affect you in many ways, not the least of which is that now anyone with mutual Facebook friends can discover you are poly. For most people, this might be a public embarrassment or cause some eyebrow raises at the office or at Thanksgiving, nothing more. If that’s the case, no worries. But keep in mind that in addition to your your mom and grandma being able to discover your open status, that bitter ex-husband might also see that Facebook status. And unfortunately, that documentation has been used in child custody cases to argue against a person being a fit parent.

I don't mean to be too gloom and doom here. The point is that since data lives forever online and Facebook has shameful privacy policies, it is perfectly acceptable -- nay, it’s your responsibility -- to discuss public online disclosures of your relationship status in order to protect your own privacy.

Read the rest, and leave a comment about how you navigate social media, on Cunning Minx's post.