Last episode we gave a deep history of relationships in early civilizations and the evolution of monogamy. In this episode we discuss the modern day concepts Polyamory. While the practice of having multiple partners is not new at all, Polyamory is a recent development in Western culture. We detail the differences between open relationships, polygamy and polyamory. As well as the code of ethics and some of the terminology within the lifestyle. We also discuss the push to have polysexual listed as an orientation and the way this has affected the queer community. Join us for the conclusion of the History of Monogamy and Polyamory. On our last episode we dove into the history of monogamy and nonmonogamy in civilizations past. We covered the four forms of monogamy; 1) Social monogamy – where two people commit to building a life together. 2) Marital monogamy – when two people enter into a lifelong commitment to one another as social partners. 3) Genetic Monogamy – two parents who have children only with each other. And 4) Sexual Monogamy – the practice of two people committing to only have sex with one another. We pointed out that in studies done in over 1,200 cultures and societies only 186 were monogamous in all 4 areas of monogamy. And in truth, full monogamy is a western practice developed and enforced by monotheistic religions – specifically Christianity.  However, the lack of monogamy in other cultures around the world is not the practice of Polyamory. While these cultures may be Polygyny (When one man has multiple female partners) or Polyandry (When on woman has multiple male partners) or both, the concept of Polyamory is a lifestyle created by and for Western culture. Because of the heavy emphasis and restrictions of a monogamous society, polysexual people have worked to create an ethical and safe culture to express their multi love desires. In other areas around the world this separate environment would not be necessary as most cultures are very fluid in terms of social, genetic, marital, and sexual experiences. However, Western society has forced poly people to define their lifestyle. And we want to add once again, that Polygamy (in all its current western forms) is a religious practice rooted in misogyny and sexism and is not part of the polyamourous lifestyle. While the term may simply mean a multi marriage, in its current expression it means something much different than Polyamory. So what is Polyamory and when was this modern day lifestyle first presented to Western civilization? According to the website morethantwo.com the definition of Polyamory is: The fact of having simultaneous close romantic relationships with two or more other individuals, viewed as an alternative to monogamy, esp. in regard to matters of sexual fidelity; the custom or practice of engaging in multiple romantic relationships with the knowledge and consent of all partners concerned. Despite new laws and social prejudice against multi-partner relationships, people had continued to engage in polycentric romances throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. However they had to do so underground, which was mostly due to the same-sex and queer individual pair ups rather than the fact that multiple people were in love. Anti-Sodomy and sexual deviancy laws played a strong part in keeping poly couples private. In 1929 famous philosopher Bertrand Russell released the book Marriage and Morals. Russell was an incredibly complex and controversial figure and his book read the same. In one chapter he supported the abhorrent practice of Eugenics. Which is the process of eliminating those in society deemed undesirable, often through death or sterilization. The idea is that by removing these individuals abilities to reproduce – and thus eliminating their so-called defective genes – we will eventually achieve a master race. And if that term sounds familiar,