PolyColumbus

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Seminar: Poly and the Law

 

Reminder— This Sunday! March 15th!

 

Poly the Law and You – Presented by Susan Wright founded the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom in 1997, a national advocacy organization for the BDSM, swing and polyamory communities, and currently serves as spokesperson for the organization (www.ncsfreedom.org).

She chaired the successful DSM-5 Revision Project to depathologize BDSM, and coordinated the SM Policy Reform Project for the National Organization for Women (NOW) which resulted in rescinding their anti-BDSM policy at their national conference in 1999.

Susan has published over 30 books including kinky romance novels as well as urban fantasy, SF-Fantasy and Star Trek novels. www.susanwright.info

Sunday, March 15, 2015

11:00AM – 1:00PM

Location: Columbus Insight Center

4161 North High Street, Suite B, Columbus, OH 43214

Cost: suggested $3-$4 donation per person
Dress code: Grandmother rules

Description: Poly and the Law, Poly and the Media, Talking about Poly with Doctors, Lawyers.

 

How NCSF is working for the Alt Sex and Non Monogamy Communities.

Where NCSF’s focus is for helping the Poly Community in the future.

Change, Change, Change.

So we told you it was going to happen. Now we are proud to announce that is has happened. The PolyColumbus website got a facelift and we have a new logo.

Why do we need a logo?

We need a logo, because we want to have some identifying  branding. We plan to have a presence at PRIDE this year and at ComFest! Banners, pens and t-shirts oh my!

In seriousness, we want to have a symbol that identifies us and all our good work in the community at large. In the coming weeks there will be opportunities for you as members to have access to branded items.

A logo is also important for identity materials when we are out in the community speaking and knowledge sharing.

Hey– who moved the forum?

We nixed the forum actually. It wasn’t working like we had planned or thought it would work and it just seemed redundant. There are so many avenues now, via Social Media, to connect and knowledge share with other poly people.

That said– we know that sometimes our members want a more private place to communicate with the Board and each other.

We have you covered. First of all, we established a closed Facebook Group. What is a closed group on Facebook? It means that it is not private, it is searchable, but that you have to ask to be a member. We realize this is not an optimal solution for members who are not out or not on Facebook.

We are in the process of getting each board member a polycolumbus.org email address. You will be able to find that on the Board of Directors page of the website. We also maintain a polycolumbusboard@gmail.com email address and it is monitored everyday. Staying in touch and asking questions has never been easier.

Remind me where I can find more information about what is going on?

We are on social media in a big way. In the sidebar you can click on the social media of your choice to find us, like us, join us. You can also book mark this blog post, to keep our contact information handy.

We also publish a monthly newsletter on or about the 25th of month. We index them on this page.

Are you guys done yet?

Done growing and changing and trying to be the best resource we can be for Polyamory in Columbus and the surrounding area?

No. Our goal is to keep improving every chance we get.

Are we done with the moving and updating and housekeeping. For now yes. We are unlikely to make any HUGE changes in the coming months. Now it is fine tuning time and focusing on offering you– our members– the best possible resources, social events and discussion meetings that we can.

Want to help out– reach out to a board member. There are loads of opportunities and staff positions abound.

 

 

March Meeting

Due to popular demand and the realization that there is a more lively discussion in smaller groups, we are going to adopt the split meeting model going forward. We really felt that the the small group format allowed for more sharing, is less daunting and an opportunity too good to ignore.

So this month we will once again divide the group into two circles for a discussion and then come back together and share final thoughts, ideas, or ah-ha moments.

The meeting flow will be roughly as follows:

7:05 pm — Call to order/Announcements/Introductions & Ice Breaker

7:20 pm — Break into Small Groups (Two Circles)

8:20 pm — Reform a large circle for final thoughts and sharing

8:40 pm — Social and Membership time

 

March’s topic is: Being an Effective Polyamorous Partner

Can’t wait to see you and hopefully March will bring warmer temperatures!

Questions, Comments or Suggestions– Contact Us!

Education Opportunity: Poly 101 Class at the CIC

February

 

POLY 101Sunday, February 22, 2015 ·

3:00 PM – 5:00PM

Location:

Columbus Insight Center4161 North High Street, Suite B, Columbus, Ohio 43017

Cost:

suggested $3-$4 donation per person

Class Description

What is Polyamory? What does it mean to be polyamorous? Do I have what it takes? Is it for me? What are some advantages? Disadvantages? Pitfalls, traps, and problems? Why should I bother? Is being poly nature or nurture? Can I learn to be poly? How should I approach the subject of STI’s? Dating? More? Am I just weird for feeling this way? What resources are there to learn more about this subject? Are there others like me out there?

If you are asking yourself these or similar questions then Poly 101 might be the right thing for you. This interactive session introduces you to the concept of Polyamory, offering possible definitions and likely answers to these and many other questions.

 

Contact Us with questions.

Video from FtB.com 3 and General Announcements

The videos from FtB.con 3 have been added to the resources tab with the newsletters. Going forward we will try to place videos and other resource material there.

A reminder the newsletter deadline is February 20, 2015. Please fell free to send us links to articles of interest, announcements and anything you would like to see. You may make a comment here or send an email to polycmhtwiitermail at gmail dot com.

Also be advised the forum is going away. While we were hoping to host a lively discussion– that is just not happening and there are so many other avenues available for discussion we have decided to just let the old Yahoo style discussion go by the wayside. We will have a Facebook page up and running soon and we think that will likely scratch that itch.

Related note– there will be several changes very soon on the this site. Fair warning. A new and improved site is coming our way.

 

614 Magazine Article

Several members of PolyColumbus and the producers and staff members of Beyond the Love are featured in this month’s 614 Magazine. We are proud of the progress we are making in raising awareness within our local community.

Take a few moments to read the article. The article is available online and in print all over town.

This article might also be an avenue for starting conversations with your friends and family.

Stay in Touch with PolyColumbus

Want to stay in touch with us?

That’s great, we have many options for doing just that… Understand, building infrastructure that is larger than a single YAHOO group and Events listed on Meet Up and Fetlife, takes time.

And we need your help!

Newsletter

Sign up for our (hopefully) monthly newsletter. You can sign up on the left sidebar of our website or contact us and we will add your email. We will not SPAM you!

Want to see something in the newsletter? Contact us for submission guidelines and deadlines.

Google Calender

A poly person’s best friend right? Well we have one too! You can integrate it with yours and never miss a special event. Find our calender here!

Twitter

We are on Twitter. What will you find on Twitter? Links to blog posts, announcements, updates, interesting articles, and the newsletter. So if you do not want the newsletter via email, you can access it via Twitter. See something you think we might like to share in your feed? Tweet it at us! Help us spread the word.

Tumblr

We are on Tumblr! What will be on Tumblr? Our announcements, newsletters and other information or perhaps poly quotes and more. Why Tumblr– because several of you asked for it!

 

Facebook

Coming soon. We will have a group, where you will be able to access news, announcements, blog posts and the newsletter.

Meet Up

Find our meeting times and special events! If you are a Meet Up user, you can find us here.

FetLife

Find our meeting times and special events! If you are a Fet User, you can find us here.

Our Website

Our website is slowly becoming the hub. We are trying to drive all information from this site. There are also forums, where you can share information with other members and engage in useful discussions.

 

Coming soon– Board of Directors Bios and email contact info. If you have a suggestion or want to reach out to a specific board member you will be able to do that very soon.

 

So remember PolyColumbus is all over the web. Connect with us and stay in touch.

PolyColumbus presents at FtB Con 3

FreethoughtBlogs Conscience 3 is a free, entirely online conference put on by FreethoughtBlogs, a leading secular activist blog network. Several PolyColumbus leaders will be taking part in three online panels of interest to the PolyColumbus community!

Building a Sex-Focused Community: Friday, January 23 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern
Introduction to Kink: Saturday, January 24 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern
Advanced Polyamory: Sunday, January 25 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern

If you can watch a video on YouTube, you can join us at this free, no-registration required conference! More information (like the specific YouTube links) will be at www.ftbcon.org as the conference approaches.

Here are more details on the individual panels:

Kumbay-Ahh-Ahh-Ahhh!!!: Building a Community Around Shared Sexual Interests
Friday, January 23 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern

There are plenty of national organizations that will help you build up a community around secularism, knitting, or a variety of other shared interests. But what about a shared interest in, say, polyamory or kink? Having sex be an explicit part of your community introduces both challenges and benefits. Our panelists will share their years of experience building and running successful communities where sex is a significant part of what brings them together.

Moderator / Panelists

Neil Wehneman (moderator)
Trina Gardinier
Karen Hill
Wesley Fenza

Kinky Sex: Learning the Ropes (See What We Did There?)
Saturday, January 24 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern

“Kinky” is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean? Learn the basics of power exchange, fetishes, and all the different ways you can relate with others and/or have sex (but might not have imagined before!) We’ll also talk about ways to get involved in the kink scene, and how kink intersects with other matters of sexuality such as polyamory and being queer.

Moderator / Panelists

Neil Wehneman (moderator)
Heina Dadabhoy
Trina Gardinier
Danny Samuelson
Dan Williams

Did You Remember Your (Love) Life Vest? Polyamory in the Deep End
Sunday, January 25 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern

At FtBCon 2, we provided a panel on the basics of Skeptics Open Up: Polyamory in the Skeptical Community. Now, we return to the subject of polyamory to delve deeper. For this panel, we assume you have basic knowledge of polyamory (and you can gain that from the last conference’s poly panel and many other sources).

There’s more to polyamory than managing jealousy, multiple calendars, and safer sex. How do you decide whether and how to share your status as poly with family, co-workers, and other acquaintances? How do you blend family and finances? How do you explain polyamory to the children in your life? We’ll cover all of this and more from a panel with years of successful (and occasionally unsuccessful) polyamory.

Moderator / Panelists

Neil Wehneman (moderator)
Heina Dadabhoy
Wesley Fenza
Karen Hill
Danny Samuelson

Meeting Update

Mark your calenders! The first PolyColumbus Meeting of 2015 is Monday, January 12, 2015.

 

New Location! Make sure to check out the directions and parking information.

 

This meeting will feature several updates for 2015, some business and then a discussion. We plan to run the discussion from 7 pm through 9 pm. And YES we know there is a very important GAME! Go Bucks! Go Ducks!

We will pause the discussion at 8:20 pm for those who want to head out and watch the game. For those who want to continue the discussion we will continue the discussion until 8:45 pm, allowing time for brief social time in our new space.

 

As always– folks will be headed to Bob’s for the AfterMeeting at 9 pm.