"Free Love Grows Up"

City on a Hill Press

Here's the kind of press we need (and that maybe you can stimulate in your own area!) Lots of people are fascinated to learn about what we're up to and how we can make it work. This story introduces us well and describes societal issues we face. It might make a nice handout. It appeared in City on a Hill Press, student newspaper at the University of California at Santa Cruz, for April 6, 2006. "We're so happy it turned out to be a positive article," writes one of the interviewees.

On a recent cool Saturday afternoon, a tall, serene grandmother of three who calls herself Beauty, her partner Howard, and four of their friends gathered in a house on the outskirts of Santa Cruz to discuss their lives, their loves, and the minutiae of everyday life on the outside edge of the mainstream. Beauty is an arresting woman with long wavy hair who speaks clearly and articulately, and her hands were never still during the interview, quickly and smoothly knitting a striped scarf.

Howard is quieter, speaking slowly and thoughtfully, and often gazes at Beauty with love and affection in his eyes. Howard is married, but Beauty is not his wife. They, and their friends, are polyamorous, and to them, the bonds of love don't connect to just one person.

Polyamory is the idea, belief, or practice of being involved or open to involvement in more than one intimate relationship at the same time. According to many in the polyamorous (poly for short) community, it is not necessarily synonymous with swinging, which involves purely sexual relationships outside of a primary intimate relationship. On the contrary, polyamory is more about intimacy and building strong partnerships. "Swinging is not poly," explained Norm, a prominent member of the local poly community. "Swinging is not emotional. Polyamory is about many loves, not many fucks."

Despite the participants' views of intimacy, many feel that polyamory seems to go against one of the most fundamental assumptions of Western tradition....

Read the whole article.