Poly-friendly book suggestions for kids

How does one find childrens' books and media that do not follow the stereotype of "happily ever after" monogamy? Technogeisha wrote a post at Life on the Swingset about her struggle educating her children about alternative relationship models:

We have been trying to keep the standard narrative driven drivel to a minimum since the birth of our first. It was easier in the early years then the real challenge began in preschool. The other little girls had been fed a non-stop diet of "Someday my prince will come." which our daughter decided to embrace wholeheartedly. A couple of years later a similar thing would happen to our son.

Once they entered school, gender roles were assigned and adhered to. So was the notion of dyadic relationships with the inevitable "first comes love, then comes marriage, the comes the baby in the baby carriage."  It wasn't enough to tell them this wasn't the only option in life. I needed backup. I needed to come up with resources that go against the standard narrative and offer positive views on non-traditional families and relationships. It was difficult to find but I found a few alternatives.

Although it can be hard to find books, TV shows, and movies featuring non-traditional (and especially non-monogamous) families, Technogeisha rounds up some great suggestions. She first recommends books focused on LGBT families, then lists a few with subtle poly themes, such as Else-Marie and Her Seven Little DaddiesSix Dinner Sid, and the story "The Little House That Ran Away from Home" from Strange Stories for Strange Kids.

She also mentions some books for young adult readers, books with themes of self-acceptance and favoritism, and a few movies and TV shows.

Read the whole post at Life on the Swingset.

Petition for multiple-person family law in Taiwan gains signatures

Victoria Hsu, lawyer and president of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR), is collecting signatures on a proposal for new Taiwan marriage laws that would allow both same-sex marriages and legal protections for multiple-person relationships.

The multiple-person family portion of the proposed law would adapt the existing law, which Hsu considers "out of date" and "patriarchal," since it is rooted in the practice of concubinage.

The petition has almost 30,000 signatures so far, and Hsu hopes to acquire one million by the end of 2013.

If Hsu's law is adopted by the government, Taiwain would be the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage -- and one of the first countries in the world with a multiple-person family law.

Polyamory Weekly podcast added to The Kinsey Institute

In the fall 2012 issue of their newsletter, The Kinsey Institute announced that the archival episodes of Cunning Minx's Polyamory Weekly podcast has now been added to their Kenneth R. Haslam Collection on Polyamory.

Founded in 1947, The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University promotes interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the fields of human sexuality, gender, and reproduction. The Kenneth R. Haslam Collection, developed by Dr. Haslam in order to further public and academic understanding of polyamory, contains a wealth of materials, including books, conference materials, research articles, newsletters, archives of web-based discussion groups, and more.

With over 340 episodes to date, Cunning Minx has been hosting and producing the Polyamory Weekly podcast since 2005. It is, indeed, becoming a historic bit of polyamory-focused media.

Poly in the Twin Cities is front page news

City Pages, a Minneapolis/St. Paul alternative paper, not only wrote about polyamory -- they made it the cover story.

As a look into the poly scene in the area, the lengthy story profiles a triad and as well as a woman who is dating around. The triad consists of Carrie, who is a member of the board on MN Poly (the Minnesota Polyamory Network) and her two partners, Rick and Mark.

The other woman profiled is Jami, a bisexual 31-year-old who is also a member of MN Poly. She explains why polyamory fits her:

To me, being poly is about building open, honest, lasting relationships. I just believe that some people are meant to be monogamous and others aren't. I tried being monogamous and I realized it's not for me. Some people say that being poly isn't an orientation like being straight or gay, that it's a choice. Personally, I think that the fact I don't have to be everything for just one person is fantastic. It's just better.

The story covers a lot of ground, detailing both the triad and Jami's varied experiences, such as how they realized they were poly and how their friends and family have reacted to it. It also makes note of the many poly groups and organizations throughout the state (including Modern Poly), and Carrie talks about how far the community has come in recent years.

Plus, as a result of this article, in which Carrie mentioned that poly folks with children may not want to talk to media outlets for fear of legal repercussions, a woman named Julia Janousek from north Minneapolis came forward, offering herself as an interview subject on the topic of raising kids as a polyamorous mom. Janousek explains that she never sat her kids down to tell them she was poly, and instead just presents the situation as their normal life.

Read the whole City Pages article and follow-up interview.