Polyamory in the News

I received a link in my in-box today to an article in the Boston Globe about polyamory. It’s a good read and I highly recommend it. The writer includes a nice overview of some of the common problems poly folks face, including jealousy, managing new relationship energy, the lack of legal protection for partners, and such. It’s also really great that the article discusses things like the sexual double standard that many people have around folks with multiple partners. Men with more than one partner don’t face the slut label that women do, and it’s wonderful to see that mentioned in a mainstream news magazine. I’m also glad that there was some discussion around poly folks being in the closet, for all of these reasons and more.

For folks who are curious about poly, the article gives a good history of Boston-area resources, such as PolyBoston, although I was surprised to not see any mention of sites like Loving More, the Polyamorous Society or the many other internet groups. Granted, the focus of the article is on the poly community in Boston, but not mentioning the long-standing internet community does a disservice to folks who might not want to go to a local event. Speaking of resources, the writer mentions the excellent guide The Ethical Slut, although it neglects Opening Up, which is unfortunate.

It’s really good to see such a friendly and honest look at relationships that fall outside the two-person model. I thought that the article’s portrayals of polyamory somewhat limited, if only because there’s more diversity in how people make it work than is discussed. But as a Poly 101 for folks who have no map for these kinds of relationships, it’s quite good. I think it’d be a great link to give family members when you come out to them, for example.

If you’re polyamorous, or if you’re curious about polyamory, check the article out for yourself. Enjoy!