Liberals have ceased fighting against the slippery slope argument regarding legalizing gay marriage. Instead, they are embracing it with open arms.
Remember when it was silly to suggest that legalizing gay marriage would lead to legalizing polygamy/polyandry/polyfidelity/polygyny/polykoity? Well, Fusion writer Lux Alptraum is hoping that, “In the same way that queer visibility has helped change the public perception of same-sex relationships from ‘freaky sex thing’ to just another way of being in love (and led to anti-discrimination laws, marriage equality, and the end of sodomy laws in the process), … public education and visibility around [non-monogamous] lifestyles will help reduce stigma, increase social acceptance, and potentially even lead to legal protections.”
And she’s not the only one. This is just the latest example of the push toward normalizing polyamory (being romantically involved with more than one person at the same time). ABC, The Atlantic, and even Snapchat (a Vice article was posted on their app) have raised discussions about polyamory.
Alptraum discusses fears the non-monogamous face when deciding whether to come out. “Monogamous people (particularly heterosexual ones),” she writes, “often take for granted how much freedom they have to reveal even mundane aspects of their personal life without fear of repercussion or backlash.”
One common stereotype that polyamorous relationships face is the notion that their relationships are about “wild, crazy, kinky” sex. Outrageous slander! Why, “people who eschew monogamy do so in a number of different ways.”
For most polyamorous people, Alptraum insists, the idea is to form “committed, loving relationships with many people, a relationship style which itself can take many, many forms.” Proponents of this movement have coined the term polycule, which urban dictionary defines as “any system of connected non-monogamous relationships … When drawn out as a chart, these connections can look similar to a molecular structure- hence the name polycule.”
Because life isn’t confusing enough without needing a Venn diagram to keep track of who you’re sleeping with.
In addition to often being labeled as promiscuous, polyamorous relationships are also accused of neglecting to provide a healthy environment for children. (That may be because they don’t, you know, provide a healthy environment for children.) As a result, many of the non-monogamous are unable to come out to coworkers, friends, or even family members. The horror.
Fear or no fear, polycules need to let their flag fly! Hiding it is “not a good, stable foundation for a healthy long-term relationship,” says Franklin Veaux, co-author of “More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory.” Being openly “poly” means inviting coworkers and friends over “without having to explain why three adults share one bedroom, or to be openly affectionate with your boyfriend without people thinking you’re cheating on your wife.”
Although Alptraum points out that legalized group marriage is not a universal goal of poly people, she does point out that, “In the United States, the non-monogamous aren’t a protected group” when it comes to divorces, custody battles, or employers “with a morality clause,”
However, for Alptraum a “basic level of recognition that non-monogamy can be as much about romance and emotional connection as it is about sex might be a small gesture towards equality.”
So yeah, the slippery slope really is a thing.
