Coming Out Poly

Marriage means a lot to me. I've said that before . . . twice. When religion starts to come in (and by 'religion' in this post, I mean over-zealous, close-minded, right-winged, Christian Fundies who think they're better than the depraved world that surrounds them), I get a little hot under the collar. Here's the issue at hand.

First, let me say this and get it off my chest: why is a newspaper - I'm not sure about calling it a 'respectable news source after this article' - putting on its website a column like this? I don't care if it's a guest columnist; this is a column meant for a specific audience (one that might read the paper, yes) and needs to be in a specific publication. It doesn't belong in a newspaper.

On to the topic, then. Marriage, as a religious rite, has a great deal of importance to various cultures, sects, denominations, et al, that have no bearing on my life. I think the argument that is being made here is falling on only the listening ears. For a good portion of us who are poly, the religious argument is a moot point. Nyla, Elle, and I are all very uninterested in religion or it's trappings. It doesn't affect our lives. I appreciate the desire to "educate" folks like this about our way of life, but it's almost entirely useless. They believe what they believe, and there's no swaying them.

What really bugs me, though, is the automatic assumption that children are harmed by this way of life. My father grew up in a family that was very much extended. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents were always around to help raise the children. Yes, his parents were Mom and Dad, but there were a lot of occasions (because my grandfather worked a lot of hours to help support them) that it was Mom and Auntie. My father was never confused by who his father was, or if Auntie was a second mom. It's all in how you raise your children. Our children (Nyla's and my) will be raised to know that I am Dad, Nyla is Mom, and Elle is Elle. Elle will be just as important in their lives because she's part of the family, but they'll always know that Nyla is mom, and she's the boss. Just because Elle is my girlfriend (which the kids will also be raised to know), doesn't mean that they'll grow to understand that we've somehow devalued the importance or the worth of marriage. If you teach your children that, then that's what they'll know. If you teach them the truth, then they won't be ignorant.

I really dislike Fundies

In other news, I'm awesome.