Ashley, Lyndzi, and I will be at the University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee this week for two showings of "When Two Won't Do" the documentary on polyamory. It's put on by UWM's SEXPO series and the Department of Sociocultural Programming.

Here is the link to the list of events: http://www.aux.uwm.edu/Union/events/concerts/socio.html

Ashley and Lyndzi will be at the UWM Student Union on Tuesday, November 17th at 7:00pm for the first showing with a panel discussion including them and one other member from the Coming Out Poly sponsored Young Milwaukee Poly Group.

I will be at the UWM dorms (which I believe requires a photo ID to attend) at the same time on Wednesday, November 18th.

If you're interested in attending either show, please do. We'll be discussing it at the group on Wednesday evening, which will be meeting at its regular time -- 7:00pm at the Tool Shed.

Also (from Lyndzi), if you're not on the google group then you haven't been up to date on the Thanksgiving plans. It will take place at Lisa's house, which we will give the address out to everyone that's interested via email or at the group itself, on Sunday, Nov. 22nd (That's this Sunday, for the people like me that can't believe this month has gone so fast!). It's a pot-luck function, like the Poly Picnic, so bring something to pass if you're able to. Hope to see you then. ^__^

I'm on the UWM campus today - and I tend to be when I don't have much to do - and I'm noticing more and more the gap in age between me and some of these students. I'm 28 (very nearly 29), and a lot of these students are a decade younger than I am. I suppose we're still in the same "Generation X/Generation Y" group, but it's hard to really relate to some of these folks, and I'm racking my brain trying to figure out how to do that.

There's been a bit of a movement amongst some of us to really address the issue of the "Older Generation" and "Younger Generation" in the poly community, because it's there, and it's something worthy of discussion. Alan mentioned in his response to our news spot and op-ed in the Shepherd Express that we were doing something few other poly's had done: coming out completely by giving our full name and showing our face. I think it shows the difference between the generations in that we, as the Younger Generation, are more open to outing ourselves because we're more comfortable with the openness and free exchange of ideas that the Internet provides.

"Sex and Geeks" as my wife termed it. It's a generational mindset that sort of puts a gap between us in terms of world view and how to approach the notion of addressing the public. As a Younger Generation, we have people like Tristan Taormino and Jenny Block to look up to because they have been outspoken and completed outed of their own volition. The role models (some, not all) of the Older Generation had pseudonyms even after publishing fairly recognized and well-researched books. Why? The stigma was too great to risk public exposure. Now, it's really not that big a deal - at least for us. The traditions still flow deep in the Older Generation (as Miss Polyamory said in our interview), and it's hard to break free of them.

So being on campus makes me feel like there's a whole group of people uneducated about the ways of poly, and it's a great place to present the subject to them and give them the education when they're still learning how to be themselves. Exploration is what college is all about - sexual, intellectual, social - and it's a great place to tap into the free exchange of knowledge.

I'll be posting fliers when I get an opportunity to advertise for our group, which I hope will bring a fair amount of people. We're happy that we've had a steady membership of about 15 every session since we started (with a little variation here and there throughout the year). That's good, and we're hoping for more because it's a world entirely foreign and best not explored alone. Believe me, Ashe, Lyndzi, and I have been there.

Ok, so don't literally carry a big stick, maybe just a metaphorical one.

If you haven't been around the internet over the course of the past month, you've missed at least five pieces of media related to polyamory. That, in turn, has produced a fair amount of response across the web from various sources. While some of the press has been negative, it's the comments that inevitably get me more riled up. And some of them aren't even negative comments.

So here's a plea: please - PLEASE - if you're going to respond to someone in favor of polyamory, open marriages, or any other alternative relationship style, do it will intelligence. It hurts our cause more than you might think to write what comes to mind first as a reaction to someone else. Intelligence, logic, reason, and well-thought prose makes for a better foundation to stand on than argumentative responses. One of the hardest things for me is taking things in stride, and I know that it's only going to get worse now that I'm out to the community at large. People will forever disagree with someone or some thing. Why? Because it's in our nature. But to defend your beliefs intelligently without the self-righteous tone of "my way is better than your way" is the best way for people to listen to you - or at least leave you alone because they can't dissect your argument.

Oh, and here's the media:
Jenny Block on AOL
Terisa Greenan on KOMO - 7/22/2009
Poly in Newsweek - 7/29/2009
Op-ed in Wall Street Times - 8/3/2009
FindLaw article on Polyamory and its legality - 8/3/2009
ComingOutPoly on TMJ4 - 7/17/2009
OnMilwaukee.com op-ed response to TMJ4 - 7/31/2009

The three of us will be on a radio show tonight at about 10pm. If you want to send/call in questions, see the information below. WBGU FM is the radio station for Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. They have a sex-positive show entitled "Sex Talk" every Sunday evening. Tonight's will be with us about polyamory.

Thanks!
Ashe

"You can have callers (friends) call in with live questions and/or comments through the same 800 number 1-888-7WBGUFM, and they can email questions at www.sexualitytutor.com and click on the email button, or IM/Yahoo/Aim at WBGUFM"

If you haven't checked out the YouTube web series, Family, before, you should. It's quirky, funny, and realistic - to a certain point.

Recently, it was featured on the Seattle news. It's another fair piece about polyamory and its "normalcy." It was also approached by The Kinsey Institute and Oprah. How awesome is that? It's good that people are becoming more aware of polyamory and how non-creepy it is.

So here's hoping that this will be another good bit of press for us.