Comments | ladoll42: Is polyamorous a sexual orientation?

ladoll42

Is polyamorous a sexual orientation?

Dec 04, 2006 17:02

I was in a discussion yesterday with two men, one bisexual poly, the other gay and knew nothing about polyamory. I made the statement that people who are poly experience a similar coming-out experience as any other GLBT individual. In some ways, coming out as poly is worse as it's SOOO NOT socially accepted in most cultures ( Read more... )

Comments 15

brewergnome December 4 2006, 22:08:30 UTC

All I can say is I know people for whom monogamy is as foreign and impossible as polyamory is for me. Given such, I'm inclined to believe that it's ingrained at a deeper level than simply "choice."

duikermeisie December 5 2006, 13:58:07 UTC

I think it's a bit of both. Some folk are likely just made that way, while another might not originally see that as their "destiny" but for the right people will indeed choose that lifestyle. I've met a few of both.

Just a repost of what I said in <lj user=polyamory> jaxxes December 5 2006, 15:38:08 UTC

After reading all the comments, I have to say that this is a remarkably thought provoking question with multiple levels that we really can't answer with the knowledge we have of sexuality right now. Here's my point of view and rational for each point:

Yes, I do believe polyamory to be a sexual orientation for some people and a choice for others. In my experience, whether from birth or environment (I personally had very few examples in my environment), being poly has changed the people I choose to be sexually involved with, regardless of other choices I make based on what's between their legs. I've heard a similar sentiment from bisexual friends, that gender attraction is only one layer and what's between the ears often matters just as much ( ... )

mikecap December 5 2006, 16:33:23 UTC

I think it's a tendency, but not an orientation. And I say this because I've heard of some evidence that orientation is at some level genetically determined and unchangeable, while I believe that any person, over time and with a lot of self-examination, can become poly - if they *want* to ( ... )

yasmine_pathe December 12 2006, 02:23:44 UTC

Until about a year ago, I had never heard of polyamory. At that time I was diving head long into a new relationship. My lover wisely held back a bit until he was able to explain how he considered himself poly and was fairly certain that he was hard-wired for polyamory ( ... )