This week, a court in Newfoundland and Labrador recognized three unmarried adults as the legal parents of a child born within their B次元官网网址漰olyamorousB次元官网网址� family. It was believed to be a legal first in Canada. However, many Canadians were left with one big question: What does polyamorous mean? HereB次元官网网址檚 five things you need to know:
1. There is no definitive definition, but there are a few basic principles.
The term appears to have emerged in the early 1990s, but there is no single definition that has universal acceptance.
John-Paul Boyd, executive director of the Calgary-based Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family, says people who consider themselves polyamorous prefer to have intimate relationships that involve more than two people, where marriage is not considered necessary.
And thereB次元官网网址檚 an added dimension that typically involves a high degree of openness and trust about the voluntary arrangement.
B次元官网网址淧olyamorous relationships have been in the open since the late 1960s, but it has really picked up steam in the last 10 years,B次元官网网址� Boyd says.
Those who describe themselves at polyamorous typically reject the notion that exclusivity is required for long-term, loving relationships.
2. Polyamorous relationships have nothing to do with bigamy or polygamy.
Under Section 293 of the Criminal Code, it is illegal to be married to more than one person. Polyamorous relationships do not violate that provision of the law.
However, it would be wrong to assume that is the only difference between polygamy and polyamory.
Last July, two men in British Columbia were found guilty of polygamy. Winston Blackmore, 62, was married to two dozen women, while James Oler, 54, was found to have married five women. Both are leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bountiful, B.C.
Boyd said these arranged marriages were part of a patriarchal structure that led to B次元官网网址渟erious, negative social effects within that community.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hey were mandated by God and thereB次元官网网址檚 no pretence of equality,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd itB次元官网网址檚 mandatory.B次元官网网址�
By contrast, polyamorous relationships are voluntary.
B次元官网网址淭he key is that whatever (polyamorous) relationships look like, they are consensual,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淓verybody knows whatB次元官网网址檚 going on. Honesty and transparency are at the core of it all.B次元官网网址�
Boyd said his research has found that among those who consider themselves polyamorous, thereB次元官网网址檚 a heavy emphasis on equality, regardless of gender, sexual identity and parenting status.
3. We really have no idea how many people are polyamorous, but there has been some fascinating research.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 no way of knowing how many Canadians consider themselves polyamorous. Statistics Canada doesnB次元官网网址檛 collect that kind of data.
However, a 2009 American study suggested that one in 614 Americans lived in openly polyamorous relationships. Another U.S. study the following year suggested about one in 500 Americans described themselves as polyamorous.
In 2016, Boyd used social media to ask polyamorous Canadians to take part in an online survey. More than 500 people responded.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a huge number,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淕etting people to fill out surveys is like pulling teeth.B次元官网网址�
Of the 480 responses that were analyzed, 82 per cent agreed that the number of people who identify as polyamorous in Canada is increasing.
Meanwhile, the website for the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association includes more than 100 links to sites for advocacy, support and dating.
4. Polyamory is not just another term for what B次元官网网址渟wingersB次元官网网址� do.
According to the Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, thereB次元官网网址檚 a big difference between swingers and those who are polyamorous.
Swinging is non-monogamous sexual activity B次元官网网址渢reated much like any other social activity,B次元官网网址� says an October 2000 paper published in the journal, titled B次元官网网址淭odayB次元官网网址檚 Alternative Marriage Styles: The Case of Swingers.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淓motional monogamy, or commitment to the love relationship with oneB次元官网网址檚 marital partner, remains the primary focus.B次元官网网址�
By contrast, those who are polyamorous may not be interested in sex: B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just consensual non-monogamy,B次元官网网址� says Boyd.
Polyamorous relationships emphasize emotional and egalitarian aspects, while swingers focus on sexual non-monogamy and emotional monogamy.
That said, a polyamorous person may engage in swinging, while swingers sometimes develop emotional bonds with their sexual partners.
5. Children are frequently part of polyamorous families.
The data compiled from BoydB次元官网网址檚 2016 survey showed that 40 per cent of respondents said there were children living in their homes full- or part-time.
B次元官网网址淲hat that shows is that it is hardly uncommon for people to have children in their polyamorous relationships,B次元官网网址� Boyd says.
Still, the recent case in Newfoundland and Labrador drew attention to the fact that the law hasnB次元官网网址檛 kept up with the evolution of Canadian families.
In that case, released Thursday, the St. JohnB次元官网网址檚 family included two men in a relationship with the mother of a child born in 2017. The adults had been together for three years, but the biological father of the child was unknown.
In his decision, Justice Robert Fowler of the provincial supreme court said: B次元官网网址淪ociety is continuously changing and family structures are changing along with it. This must be recognized as a reality and not as a detriment to the best interests of the child.B次元官网网址�
Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press
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