Category: Polyamory

A polyfi triad on ABC’s “Private Practice”

Thursday's season premiere of ABC's "Private Practice," a medical drama that chronicles the lives of a group of doctors and patients, contained a surprisingly sympathetic poly-oriented subplot! Alongside other subplots, there's a polyfi triad -- two women and a man -- who want to have a child together, and the doctors assist them in their journey.

Alan M. describes the poly subplot in full:

In comes a nice, seemingly conventional lesbian couple, Kendra and Rose, to interview with the fertility specialist. They've been together six years and want a child -- one woman will be the egg donor, the other will bear the baby. Also along for the interview is the intended sperm donor, Evan . . . When the counselor advises the women that they need to have him sign away parental rights, they balk, and the truth comes out: they're not actually conventional at all.

"We're all in love," they reveal, holding hands.

"We know it sounds crazy—"

As they're explaining: "That first night was amazing. And, so was the next morning. And, every morning after that. Most mornings."

. . . The docs in the practice discuss it among themselves. "A what?" "A polyamorous triad." They debate. "...That's the same argument that said interracial and same-sex couples shouldn't have children." The docs come to agreement: they will do the egg fertilization and implant, as the three wish.

But this is a TV drama, right? An ultrasound reveals a problem.

Read the rest of Alan M.'s account to find out how the storyline resolves itself. Or better yet, check out the 43-minute episode on ABC's website or on Hulu.

Poly Living 2012 approaching

The 7th annual Poly Living Conference in Philadelphia is about a month away! It's happening February 10th through 12th at the Embassy Suites Philadelphia Airport Hotel. Poly Living has reserved a block of rooms at the hotel, and there are only a few days left to take advantage of a special, discounted room rate. Book a reservation online before Tuesday, January 10th to receive the reduced rate.

Here's a description of the Poly Living Conference:

Since 2005 when George Marvil hosted the first Poly Living Conference in Philadelphia, it has been the best place to warm up your winter with fun, learning and polyamory community. Whether you are new to polyamory and wanting to find out more, a professional interested in helping clients or an experienced poly person looking to have fun with old friends, Poly Living is a great place to learn, explore and connect with real people.

This year's keynote speaker is Alan M. of the blog Poly in the Media. His talk is called "Busting Loose: Polyamory in the Next Five Years." There will also be a Friday night social and a variety of workshops from esteemed presenters. Attendees will be able to learn:

  • New models beyond marriage and monogamy
  • Communication skills
  • Being real and honest about what you want
  • Making agreements that work for you
  • Polyamory 101
  • Managing emotions and jealousy
  • Enjoying pleasure and letting go of shame
  • Poly living styles -- knowing what you want

Registration for the conference is $125 and you can register online.

More press for Jaiya and family

Following their recent appearance in Details magazine and on Anderson Cooper's talk show, sex guru Jaiya Ma and her two partners continue to receive some very prominent press. First, they were interviewed for Great Britain's Daily Mail, in an article that lets the family speak for themselves, telling the story of how they came together, along with personal photos.

Jaiya's family was also the focus of a recent article on ABC News, awkwardly titled, "Polyamory on Rise Among Divorce-Disgusted Americans." Again, the family's arrangement is detailed, including Jaiya's rules for safe sex and check-ins. The article also includes the voice of Robin Trask, Executive Director of polyamory advocacy group Loving More.

Polyamory and sexual subculture in the East Bay

Polyamory was the cover story topic for a recent edition of the alternative Oakland, California newspaper, the East Bay Express. The 3,800-word piece calls polyamory a "veritable subculture" that has grown over time, but questions whether the general public will ever be able to accept it.

The Bay Area in particular, with its long history of free love, its vast network of Burning Man enthusiasts, and its overall progressive ethos, is a natural hotbed for the alternative sex scene. It's a place where avid polyamorists can bring just about anyone into their fold.

Sort of. It turns out that, no matter how successful they've been at negotiating relationships, many polyamorists still have one foot in the closet. And in a world where monogamy is not only well-entrenched but vital to the workings of a property-based society, their scene may always remain marginal.

The article profiles one specific poly relationship and interviews several other people: Christopher Ryan (author of Sex at Dawn), Polly Whittaker (founder of Mission Control), Ned Mayhem, and even Dan Savage. The author does an interesting job of weaving together the threads shared by the poly community and the alternative "sexual underground."

Certainly, not all polyamorists attend sex parties or engage in kink -- many who subscribe to the "open relationship" philosophy still consider themselves fairly vanilla. But the fact that San Francisco has such a vast and well-networked sexual underground benefits them, too, since it makes for a more tolerant environment. It also shows that the alt-sex scene, and by extension, the polyamory scene, isn't just a countercultural fluke.

Read the rest on the East Bay Express.