How Far Polys Have Come?

I was touched last weekend when a friend of mine, in the process of becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister, told me she had officiated recently at a ceremony of union for a poly family.  She and I had talked, many years ago, about polyamory and our local support group.  Then she had moved out of the area and eventually begun studying for the ministry.  Since then she has returned, but we have not had the opportunity to discuss polyamory.  I don’t know what ins and outs she has experienced in her own life.  But I was touched when she told me about this ceremony, which she had to create largely on her own, being unable to find much appropriate material elsewhere.

How far we’ve come!  I told her I had seen ceremonies of blessing and commitment for poly families.  Still, they are not readily available, as she discovered.  Perhaps we can change that.

I grew up probably naturally inclined to polyness, not understanding how unusual and how socially unacceptable this was.  Even now, after almost twenty years of facilitating South Bay Polys, I realize that most people in our society think of polyamory as sinful, or irresponsible, or a joke.  Actually, it’s probably more accurate to say that most people have never even heard of polyamory.  Yet we are probably more visible than we have ever been.

Well, let’s do what we can for each other.  Love is love, support is support—and it does help to know that there are people like us, here and everywhere.  Some environments are safer for us than others, some places more accepting.  And know that we have friends who support us—like my friend the Unitarian Universalist, and others.