My Afternoon with the Washington Area Secular Humanists

On this past Sunday afternoon I had the privilege of presenting a program on polyamory to the Washington Area Secular Humanists.  One of their organizers reached out to me a couple of months ago, said that a fair number of members were interested in hearing more about polyamory, and invited me to speak at an upcoming monthly gathering.  

Though I knew that some attendees probably weren't going to be entirely comfortable with this idea, I felt it important to take advantage of this opportunity to raise awareness of polyamory, especially with a group that rejects the oppressiveness of organized religion and dogma.   Their values make them potential allies. 

About 40 people turned out.   They were polite, respectful, and asked good questions.   My basic poly 101 presentation was enhanced so as to include some detail on the ethics of polyamory. Secular Humanists highly value ethical behavior, so it was important to demonstrate how it is that polyamory is an ethical manner in which to conduct one's intimate relationships. 

The WASH representatives very kindly permitted me to briefly introduce Michael Rios and Sarah Taub of Network for a New Culture and Ricci Levi of The Woodhull Freedom Foundation, very different organizations that nevertheless both welcome and support polyamorous people.   They also announced the event on the Chesapeake Polyamory Network yahoogroup and invited people to attend, which I especially appreciated.  It was nice to see some local poly community members and CPN representatives there, some of whom very kindly volunteered to help me field questions during the break and after the program ended.

Thanks to Don, Shelley, and everyone with WASH for their kindness and support!. 

Poly Presentation March 21, Washington Area Secular Humanists, Tyson's Corner, VA

I'm looking forward to talking polyamory with the Washington Area Secular Humanists on March 21, 2010 at from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. at the Tyson's-Pimmitt Public Library. Hope you can join us! Here are the details of the program, which will especially focus on the ethics of polyamory and using rational thinking in evaluating polyamory as a personal path. - Anita

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Topic: “Polyamory - America's Next Romantic Revolution?”

Description: Suppose we hear about a closeted gay man who, because of societal pressure to fit in and abide by tradition, marries a woman who is not aware he is gay. Most of us would say that this is sad because such people have few to no ethical alternatives to traditional marriage, depending on whether gay marriage is legal in their state.

Consider the case of Tiger Woods and his extra-marital affairs. Not as many of us would think this to be a sad case because he certainly has ethical alternatives. The obvious alternative would be to abide by the monogamous commitment he made when he and his wife, Elin, married. Less obvious but equally ethical, if both agreed to it, would be the practice of polyamory, also known to some as responsible non-monogamy. Some may and do argue against such arrangements as both irresponsible and unethical, but this is because they lack a compassionate and informed understanding of this alternative to traditional monogamy.

* What is polyamory?
* How does it work?
* What are the pitfalls?
* How do people deal with jealousy?
* What is compersion?
* What are the ethics of polyamory?
* What are the legal issues?
* What are the outcomes for children?
* What does science have to say about how monogamous or polyamorous we are as a species?
* What are the most common misunderstandings about polyamory?

Presenter Anita Wagner regularly speaks to groups where she answers these and other questions for the polyamory community. She is a highly-regarded community leader, organizer, advocate and media spokesperson and is the author of the very popular Practical Polyamory blog. Both her blog and website (practicalpolyamory dot com) are considered among the best internet resources available on the subject of polyamory.

WHERE: Tyson-Pimmit Library, 7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043

Directions: We will be in the meeting room of the Tysons-Pimmit library from 2 - 4 PM. It is 1.3 miles from the West Falls Church Metro on the Orange Line... so if you feel up to it, it is feasible to walk. There's also a bus. Driving directions and information on public transportation is available here. Parking is free.