To anyone reading this who didn't know I'm a polyamorist and found that out by reading Pairs with Spares, Monica Hesse's long Washington Post Style Section feature article on polyamory published today, now you know why I have pictures of more than one partner on my desk.
Robyn Trask of LovingMore and I worked with Monica beginning the week before the Poly Living polyamory conference and during the conference, at which she was a constant, respectful presence, to supply her with answers and other interview subjects. By devoting an entire weekend plus some to fact gathering she has managed to distill a huge amount of information and capture the philosophy and spirit of polyamory, as well as some of the practicalities associated with poly relationships. The one glaring omission is any mention about STIs and how we manage those risks. I've left a comment on the website addressing that point in response to another person's comment.
As will happen, a minor point or two in my story wasn't quite accurate. I'm a co-founder of Chesapeake Polyamory Network, not the sole founder. There were six of us altogether, including my partner, Jim. (CPN celebrates it's tenth anniversary this summer.) I lived with Jim for about six years, and though the primary aspect of our relationship eventually changed, the love and high esteem in which we hold each other hasn't. Through our work together as co-founders of the Institute for 21st Century Relationships, Jim taught me a lot about activism and community organizing - much of it based on his experience long ago with the NRA.
A word of caution, there are some snarky comments already being posted on the Post's website. I encourage you to respond and help further understanding, but if you choose to do so, please use a respectful tone, no matter how unfair the comments may be. Taking the high road here is very important - we have an exceedingly rare public relations opportunity to educate the local public Let's make the most of it.
Many thanks to Monice Hesse and The Washington Post for writing a fair, objective article and capturing we polyamorists as who we truly are.
2 comments:
Anita, your new nickname is gonna be Ms. Cheerful Lipstick! Did she peg you or what?
Good show all around! As always, the community owes you bigtime.
Alan7388
Aw shucks, thanks, Alan. I didn't know that lipstick could BE cheerful. I just wanted a little color - guess it worked.
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