Who Speaks for the Polyamorous?
Hint — they may not be putting the movement’s best foot forward
The environmental movement came to a revelation about two decades ago — being represented by archetypes in sandals, with long, greasy hair, eating granola was not serving its interests well.
The polyamory movement is coming to the same reckoning. Dan Savage highlighted it last week on his podcast — the image of poly folks as free love, emotionally unstable hippies is missing the mark. It no longer — if it ever was — a proper characterization of those engaged in polyamorous relationships.
The modern poly movement is a blend of many different interests and archetypes:
- Three loving souls who come together into a bonded relationship;
- Two or more couples who enjoy sharing love, sex, and socialization;
- Couples in an open relationship seek the occasional or frequent emotional and sexual connections in parallel with their primary relationship; and
- Way, way, way more.
The people who engage in polyamorous run the gamut from young professionals, urban upper class, rural farmers to conservative ideologues. As poly has gone mainstream, those who engage have become a near-perfect cross-section of society itself; they walk among us.
