Polyamory

[BellaBellucci]

Is 'polyamorous' an identity like 'gay' or 'straight' or 'trans?'

I vote yay. I think the next front on social equality is marriage rights for poly people. I don't mean for a patriarchy, i.e. a man and his 12 wives, but for a multi-way, multi-gendered group of legally committed people.

~BB~

[Rockit_]

I don't think so. There's a difference between what you like and how many people you like being with at one time. Additionally the public probably sees polyamory as something equated with polygamy (which is illegal) or some sort of weird religious thing.

[Jericho]

Sounds alright in 'theory', do as you will, with whomever, in the 'set', but in practice, errrrrmmmmmmmmmmmm, Heinlien explored it but, but never really nailed it for me!

[BellaBellucci]

Gays have a collective identity based on their sexual orientation, as do lesbians and bisexuals, so why not polyamorous people?

I agree that the Mormons ruined things. People easily conflate polygamy (man with multiple wives, i.e. patriarchy) and polyamory now.

~BB~

[Jericho]

Gays have a collective identity based on their sexual orientation, as do lesbians and bisexuals, so why not polyamorous people?

Without muddying the waters with Mormons, define the difference between bisexual and polyamorous (of which I'm doubtful there is such a word...Yet)!

[BellaBellucci]

Without muddying the waters with Mormons, define the difference between bisexual and polyamorous (of which I'm doubtful there is such a word...Yet)!

Why do people always assume that bisexual people must be poly? I like green eyed girls and brown eyed girls. Does that mean that I must NECESSARILY date both simultaneously? That logical fallacy isn't just wrong; it's silly.

And there is such a word, even though to my chagrin, it combines greek and latin elements. I believe the term should be either polysexual or multiamorous.

~BB~

[Stavros]

Is 'polyamorous' an identity like 'gay' or 'straight' or 'trans?'

I vote yay. I think the next front on social equality is marriage rights for poly people. I don't mean for a patriarchy, i.e. a man and his 12 wives, but for a multi-way, multi-gendered group of legally committed people.

~BB~

How do you feel about Polyandry, where a woman marries two or more husbands? It raises all sorts of issues if a MtF transexual identifies as a woman and wants a same sex wedding not once, not twice, but say, four times...and it has a long historical pedigree...
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...-sense/272726/

[Michelle.]

I think that within the next 25 years we will see something akin to a "partnership" agreement among individuals spring up. By partnership I mean along the lines of how doctors, lawyers and other professionals structure their business relationships. When you get down to the nitty gritty marriage really is about property rights and transfer of wealth.

[fivekatz]

Personally I think the type of relationships you mention are much more rare than gay or lesbian couples. That certainly hurts any "movement" for the type of relations you discuss being legal memorialized.

And in the long run it is tougher that all get out to maintain a lifetime contract between two people let alone more.

Michelle is right that in the end marriage to a large extent is about property rights and transfer of wealth. But legal unions did not do it for couples who wanted the same recognition as heterosexuals and their numbers and the empathy has been developed over quarter century since Stonewall, and you add in younger people who don't get the whole homophobia thing and here we are.

I think it is a long time to ever see groups of multi-gendered people gain the type of legal status Bella suggests and there isn't big enough a group of folks yet to fight to change that IMHO.

To that I personal say who really gives a damn what other people do, I only state what I think is the reality of the society we live in and how tenuous the gains made for the LGBT citizens to date. There are so many people who live in fear and so many politicians more than willing to distract those people with bigotry.

[bzzzay]

How is polyamory any different from polygamy? Except for the genders?

A man with multiple wives is unacceptable (patriarchy as you say). How about a woman with multiple husbands (matriarchy?)

So I as a man can be legally married to two other men and two other women - all at the same time? The genders of the individuals involved doesn't makes the situation any different from polygamy.