Psychologists
based at California universities are leading the American Psychological
Association (APA) in putting together a task force to study “consensual
non-monogamy,” in order to reduce the stigma attached to those who practice it.
The Golden State shrinks hope to promote “awareness and inclusivity about
consensual non-monogamy and ‘diverse expressions of intimate relationships.’”
(Well, I personally start with a goat, two dildos, eggnog, a turkey
baster, and a can of spam…”).
The APA’s task force Division 44
website proclaims: "Finding love and/or sexual intimacy is a central part
of most people’s life experience. However, the ability to engage in desired
intimacy without social and medical stigmatization is not a liberty for all.
This task force seeks to address the needs of people who practice consensual
non-monogamy, including their intersecting marginalized identities. The
APA Division 44 Consensual Non-monogamy Task Force promotes awareness and
inclusivity about consensual non-monogamy and diverse expressions of intimate
relationships. These include but are not limited to: people who practice
polyamory, open relationships, swinging, relationship anarchy and other types
of ethical non-monogamous relationships." Relationship anarchy? Sounds
like what people with more than two kids experience.
Division 44 also sports a Religion
and Spirituality Task Force, with the professed desire to “reduce theological
barriers often separating sexual minorities from the sources of their beliefs."
(I hate to be an old fuddy-duddy, but sometimes those barriers were placed
there for a good reason). Those wishing to become task force members are asked
whether they agree with a series of statements such as: “I support generating
research and promoting awareness of issues facing individuals engaged in
consensual non-monogamy with multiple marginalized identities,” and “I support
including consensual non-monogamy as a legally protected class.” Multiple
marginalized identities? MMI?
Heath Schechinger is a psychologist
at the University of California-Berkeley and co-chair of the APA’s Division 44
Consensual Non-monogamy Task Force (DFFCN-MTF). His website says he
“specializes in providing sex therapy and working with alternative
relationships and lifestyles, diverse sexualities, couples/partners, and
infidelity,” and adds that he “has considerable experience in working with
concerns related to polyamory/open relationships, kink, TGNC/NB, and
LGBQIA.” Kink? Do we have to add a ‘K’ to LGBTQIIA?” I honestly did not
know what TGNC/NB stood for. Sadly, after a little research, that is no longer
the case. It stands for the “Transgender, Non-Conforming, Non-Binary” community.
“LGBTGNC/NBQIIA+?”
Reactionary, stick-in-the-mud, old curmudgeons
like myself have long warned that the legalization of same-sex marriage would
render marriage meaningless. After all, if marriage has naught to do with
procreation, then why shouldn’t three men or four girls and a horse be able to
legally marry? “Love is love,” right? There’s no more to it than that.
In an email to LifeSiteNews, psychologist
Daniel Boland, an APA member for over
50 years, said
of the polyamory taskforce: “The APA has abandoned all respect for fact-based
research and scientific tradition. It has capitulated to the most unstable,
most radical elements in our society.” He added, “Its abandonment of its
original professionalism renders it no longer credible to the public or to its
members.”
As others have noted, this is what
happens when ideology replaces science. And it is happening ever more
frequently across multiple disciplines.
Much as with gay marriage in years
past, polyamory is gaining acceptance in popular culture. Willow Smith, singer-- and daughter of actor Will
Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith-- recently declared herself polyamorous. The
18-year-old said she is equally attracted to men and women and averred that she
would find fulfillment in a relationship with two other people. That particular
arrangement is apparently known as a “throuple.” (As in, “Nobody knows
the throuples I’ve seen!”). Willow recently told something called Red
Table Talk, “I love men and women equally, and so I would definitely want
one man, one woman. I feel like I could be polyfidelitous with those two
people." How charmingly old-fashioned.
And polyridiculous.
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