By Maria Padhila
If you wanted to hide something, this wasn’t the year. From the NSA to the PTA, everyone was getting outed, all over the world. Polyamory, of course, had a big year. It was like it was just invented or something, instead of being simply another way humanoids have been living and loving together for thousands of years. Polyamory is also being “positioned,” as they say, for the next big social and political battle, now that there have been so many victories in LGBT marriage. If right wingers have started to notice it and fight it, you know it’s going to be a thing.
The dynamic of what is hidden and what is revealed, what is privacy and what are its uses and abuses, is the critical question when it comes to relationships. How much of my relationship is nobody’s damn business, and how much should I reveal in order to live simply and love freely? I think it’s going to be the big question that defines the next several decades. It affects how we’re going to live together, as we realize we can no longer use the tribal model, that we’re all in this same big boat here on Earth.
A lot of the “outing” of polyamory has come from the bravery of people allowing themselves to be written about, filmed and shown live and in color in various media, sharing their thoughts, emotions and daily lives. I don’t consider myself brave, and I’m not obviously and boldly out. My strategy is to share information with discretion, because I like my privacy. But that might not be possible much longer.
My own decisions aside, when I pull back and look at people like the triad who is willing to appear in their local paper, I am really moved by their courage. So I really want to thank everyone who has commented here this year, for starters, and kept this conversation going. You might have helped someone more than you know with your thoughts and your shared experiences. You help me, and always keep me thinking. I wish you a year full of love.