Category: Polyamory

Advice for healthcare professionals

With doctors opening up more about polyamory lately, this post from Cunning Minx is both timely and important: "What healthcare professionals need to know about poly and kink." The post was written after Minx participated in an event at Bastyr Center for Natural Health called the "human library," which allowed naturopathic practicioners to ask questions of human "books" from various communities.

The practitioners were most concerned about how to determine whether a patient is poly or kinky, and what those terms actually mean. In order to create a safe, non-judgmental space, Minx suggests practitioners refrain from assumptions and use open-ended language when asking questions -- e.g., "what is your relationship structure?" Another example from her personal experience:

My favorite personal experience with this was a fantastic gynecologist who, when I was in the stirrups, asked, "Do you sleep with men, women, or both?" I'd never heard "or both" before, and I was delighted she'd asked! I answered, "both," to which she replied with a cheery, "Good for you!" And just like that, she established trust. I knew I could tell her about my partners, probably even my kinky proclivities, and she wouldn't flinch, blink or judge.

Minx also recommends practitioners get their hands on Opening Up, The Ultimate Guide to Kink, and a paper entitlted "What Psychology Professionals Should Know About Polyamory."

Add your own thoughts to the comment section at Polyamoy Weekly.

Montreal triad featured in The United Church Observer

A happy triad family from Montreal was profiled in the May 2012 issue of the United Church Observer, a magazine serving Canada's largest Protestant denomination, the United Church. The triad includes John Bashinski, a spokesperson for the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association (CPAA), and his partners "Blue" Joyce and Warren Baird. They are raising a daughter named Kaia.

Bashinski was in a monogamous marriage for 20 years before moving from the U.S. to Montreal, where he met Blue and Warren -- and entered into a much happier partnership with both of them.

Egalitarian, secular and non-institutional, the family’s relationship is founded on the personal freedom of each of the three partners, he says. All three adults see other lovers outside their primary unit. Weekly, the partners also rotate on date nights, a two-adult romantic evening, while the third does childcare. It’s just your average three-parent “open” relationship, in other words. Bashinski reports they’re very public about it yet never harassed in their progressive, family-oriented neighbourhood.

The article also discusses the British Columbia Supreme Court decision last year that upheld Canada's anti-polygamy law. As part of the CPAA, Bashinski was one of the people who testified in favor of egalitarian multi-partner relationships.

Read the rest at the United Church Observer.

Loving More’s 26th Annual National Polyamory Retreat

Loving More's 26th annual polyamory retreat is planned for September 7-9. Although that's a couple months away, there's an early registration special that ends on July 1st -- so to get the best deal possible, you'll want to register soon.

The three day, two night retreat will be held at the Easton Mountain Retreat Center in Greenwich, New York, which is located on 175 acres and provides a calming atmosphere in which to unwind, explore, disconnect from technology, and engage with and learn from other polyamorous folks. Feel free to swim, hike, hot tub, and more -- past retreats have included live music, dance parties, snuggling parties, drum circles, and movie nights.

Additionally, there will be over a dozen workshops and playshops from experienced presenters from all around the country.

The basic retreat fee includes all meals, use of Easton Mountain facilities, camping, and workshops. A limited number of bunkhouse rooms/beds are available at an extra cost.

Early registration starts at $250 for Loving More Members. Register online today!

Want to be filmed at a swinging workshop in Los Angeles this Friday?

Sex and relationship educator Reid Mihalko (of ReidAboutSex) has put out a call for participants to be filmed this Friday night, June 15th, in downtown Los Angeles for a major TV show documenting his swinging workshop and play party. He is looking for 10-15 couples, both new to non-monogamy and experienced, who are willing to be filmed for Part2 Pictures. The film crew are also in need of one newbie couple who are interested in swinging but not yet sold on it.

The night will begin at 6:30 p.m. with Reid's two-hour "Plays Well With Others" workshop (which teaches communication and relationship skills for non-monogamous folks), followed by a quick dinner break, and finally, "My First Play Party." Part2 Pictures will document the workshop and the play party, but they won't be filming any explicit nudity. They will also interview willing attendees.

Reid's goal is to showcase ethical non-monogamy in a positive light on national television. He says:

For those of you who know me and know how passionate I am about the media covering sex-positive life in an empowering way with integrity, please know that I used to be a film producer and worked in television years ago, and that I've have several conversations with the producers of this show (you've probably seen or heard of it, btw), and the producers are letting me design the event and influence how they're going to document it. This way, I can ensure that they have footage and soundbites that will showcase The Lifestyle in a positive and informative way.

Read more, including full descriptions of the workshop and play party, at Reid's site. If you wish to RSVP, email Rachael Profiloski at Part2 Pictures at rachael [at] part2pictures [dot] com or call her at 718-797-0581.