Following
a spate of recent attacks and exploits on! Joomla sites worldwide - we have
made some changes to our Site Membership and Registration Procedures.
All Site
Members will now be required to have at least a Basic Free Membership Plan.
What does
this mean to the average Member?
When you
login to the site - you may be redirected to an "Account
Pending" page, simply click on the "Plan
Selection" button, then select a Site Membership Plan - in most
cases this will be "Basic Membership - Free" (although
please feel free to avail yourself of one of Financial Membership Options - as
all subscriptions help to support site running costs).
Click on the appropriate
button for your selected plan and your Membership will be activated - or
reactivated in the case of Members who joined prior to the implementation of
the new registration procedure.
In some
case we have found that a Member's password no longer works and you may get an
invalid username / password error - if this happens please use the Lost Password? Link in the
Login area at the top right and a new password will be mailed to you.
Should
you have any problems such as not receiving your new password or any other
issues with the new system, please contact our Webmaster for further
assistance.
This site is a resource for polyamorous Australians, their friends, relatives and supporters, and anyone who is curious to find out more about polyamory.
Polyamory has been defined as the philosophy and practice of loving more than one person at a time with honesty and integrity. The term Polyamory was coined in the late 80's by a pagan Priestess, Morning Glory Zell, and defines a range of different lifestyle alternatives. In most cases, but not all, this involves some sexual or at least intensely intimate sensual behavior. - reference:- ejhs.org
Polyamorous people come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Some belong to an organised religion, and some don't. Some have children, and some don't. Some are currently looking for new relationships, and some aren't. We are of all ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, occupations, and political persuasions.
The one and only thing that all polyamorous people have in common is this:-
We believe it is possible to have more than one romantic relationship at a time, ethically and constructively.
This is a place where everyone who shares that belief, or who is interested in finding out more about it, can find information, stories, resources, and mutual support.
Whilst this site is hosted by an incorporated association, it is not the domain of any particular group or organisation.
It belongs to you, the people who visit. - Make the most of it!
If you are aware of any other Australian poly website, email list, social group, or other resource which is not mentioned here, please email us the details, so we can update the site and continue to be a comprehensive reference point for Australian polyamory.
PolyOz - Polyamory Resources Australia Inc. is an Incorporated Association and a Non Profit Organization - Registered in Victoria, Australia
Aug252008
Monday, 25 August 2008
PolyOz AGM
The Annual General Meeting of PolyOz - Polyamory Resources Australia will be held on the 12th October 2008 at 1.00 pm
Free Membership for the next year while on the committee or
if you have a yearly membership the 12 months can be added to that.
If you have
thoughts or questions to the benefits of being on the committee ask people who
have been on it.
Positions available to all Financial Members :-
President
Vice President
Treasurer (Who must have access to a Bendigo Bank)
Secretary
Public Officer (Must have their residential address listed
as being in Victoria)
At least 1 General Board Member
There will be Board meetings every three months with
possibility of them done partially or fully online, so travel shall be no
problem.
You can nominate your self or another person and leave your
vote via an email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
The AGM will be held at Shane’s house in Bendigo and if you wish attend, please use the above contact to obtain the address details.
Polygamy and polyamory are often confused. Some people think of polygamy as technically a subset of polyamory - others disagree and say that the (very recent) term "polyamory" is different in spirit. Men and women pursuing either polygamy or the wider polyamory report both happy and difficult experiences. In any case, you may find the following comparative description of polyamory and polygamy helpful.
It is important to note that in no culture is polygamy (or polyamory) the majority practice. It is usually a tiny minority.
Polyamory
Polygamy
Polyamory can involve relationship between people of any gender (including transgender) and any sexual orientation. Sexual connections may or may not occur between any members of a Polyamorous grouping, as the group decides.
There seems to be no grouping in polyamory which is dominant - relationship groupings are like snowflakes, with no two alike.
The commonest polygamous grouping is the relationship between one straight man and two or more straight women. This is known as Polygyny. Although Polyandry (one woman with several men) does occur, it is rare. Most commonly in polygamy, sexual relationships are expressed only between the man and each woman individually.
Polyamory involves people of any or no religious/spitirual conviction, although it seems rare or non-existent amongst religious fundamentalists.
In the west, polygamy is mainly practiced by religious sects such as (a splinter group of) the Mormons. In the rest of the world, polygamy occurs most commonly in a variety of Muslim and other (mainly Asian) cultures.
Polyamory tends towards a feminist approach, in that most polyamorists regards men and women as being equal in all respects with regard to relationship rights and requirements.
Polygamy (in its commonest form of polygyny) tends towards a patriarchal approach, seeing the man as protector of the women. There are some Western polygamous relationships which report a qualified kind of feminism because each woman has the advantage of a shared, communal family work load.
Following
a spate of recent attacks and exploits on! Joomla sites worldwide - we have
made some changes to our Site Membership and Registration Procedures.
All Site
Members will now be required to have at least a Basic Free Membership Plan.
What does
this mean to the average Member?
When you
login to the site - you may be redirected to an "Account
Pending" page, simply click on the "Plan
Selection" button, then select a Site Membership Plan - in most
cases this will be "Basic Membership - Free" (although
please feel free to avail yourself of one of Financial Membership Options - as
all subscriptions help to support site running costs).
Click on the appropriate
button for your selected plan and your Membership will be activated - or
reactivated in the case of Members who joined prior to the implementation of
the new registration procedure.
In some
case we have found that a Member's password no longer works and you may get an
invalid username / password error - if this happens please use the Lost Password? Link in the
Login area at the top right and a new password will be mailed to you.
Should
you have any problems such as not receiving your new password or any other
issues with the new system, please contact our Webmaster for further
assistance.
OPENING A CONVERSATION ABOUT MULTIPLE LOVERS, HONESTY AND RESPECT IS NO SIMPLE MATTER, SAYS REBECCA FITZGIBBON
- article originally published Hobart Mercury 23/2/2008 -
THE thought-provoking Big Love returns to Tasmanian television screens tonight, as SBS repeats the challenging drama about a Mormon polygamist family in Utah.
The series caused only a few ripples of disapproval when it aired last year, even though it coincided with a real-life news story of a Mormon "prophet" accused of incest and rape.
But Polygamy is only one form of Polyamory and the creators of Big Love aimed to show that Polyamorous relationships aren't just for fringe cults
The word "polyamory" comes from the Latin for "many loves". Also called "consensual non-Monogamy", polyamory is essentially a romantic relationship involving more than two people.
A defining factor of Poly relationships is that everyone involved knows about, and agrees to, everyone else's involvement.
Former Tasmanian Shane Jones is administrator of the Australian online network of poly communities, PolyOz (polyoz.dhs.org).
Now living in Victoria, he believes the important goal is encouraging understanding. "Big Love does actually portray well in that the women are there by their own choosing they join the relationship," he said. "The important thing is that it's made clear to people that no one is coerced into it.
"[Big Love] does portray them in quite an enjoyable and recognisable light; I think anyone can relate to that. Big Love's creators have done quite well."
Channel 9 declined a first option for screening Big Love. Then, after its success on SBS, Nine approached Shane, his two female partners and other PolyOz members with an interview request from 60 Minutes.
They declined the interview, as well as one with Woman's Day, which offered $3000 each for interviews. Potential sensationalism made them wary, despite their being willing to discuss the reality of polyamorous life.
"Acceptance is the biggest thing," Shane said. "The challenge that we're facing today is probably what the gay community was facing in the '70s . . . and educating the public that we're not a bunch of child molesters or preying at large, out to get people."
The PolyOz website hosts discussion of polyamorous issues including jealousy, managing multiple incomes and raising children in poly families, as well as facilitating contact between regional networks like PolyTas.
"We get a lot of people coming to the website thinking we're a swingers' website," he said. "Sex is good, but we're not all about that."
Shane and Michelle met on an internet dating site soon after she ended a 17-year Monogamous marriage. Discovering that their children were to attend the same school in regional Victoria,they decided they could offer each other moral and emotional support living together.
"The break-up of my marriage was because my husband had an affair and did it all behind my back," Michelle said.
Shane was Open with Michelle from the start about his relationship with another woman.
Helen and her daughter visit every couple of months, which Michelle says is like having family come to stay.
"When I met him . . . I had to do some soulsearching. I looked at the positives and negatives. It ended up being that his [having a] girlfriend wasn't as big a negative as I thought it would be," she said.
"For both Shane and me, it's more a case of us being honest with the fact that we all love in different ways and there are different types of love. It doesn't have to be your traditional monogamous relationship.