In this email, I'm getting political. Or maybe you could say, polytical.
If that's not your jam, then you're welcome to skip this email. Or, you're welcome to unsubscribe.
However, if you enjoy my hot takes on polyamory and non-monogamy, you may want to keep reading, as I'm sharing some values that are very important to me and inform who I am and what I do in the world.
It was feminist Carol Hanisch, a white woman from Iowa, who coined the phrase, "the personal is political", and this is a phrase I take to heart in my relationships.
A confession for you: I grew up with sour feelings about 'feminism' and racial justice. I didn't understand why people made such a big fuss about the ways we were different when we were essentially all the same. What I didn't understand as a teenager, but I have come to learn so much about as an adult, is that the historic legacies of the ways people have been politically dehumanised — for their gender, orientation, ethnicity, religion, and more — directly impacts each person on a highly personal level. And this can show up in our relationships.
My personal journey has been deeply informed and shaped by my quest to understand how the legacy of political dehumanisation and disenfranchisement has directly impacted my own family, and me as an individual — and subsequently, my relationships too.
Maybe 'politics' don't feel very sexy to you... but in the current global political climate — where trans and queer rights are being denied and rolled back, where women are losing their reproductive freedoms, and where far-right extremists and racism are leading to a rise in racially motivated crimes and violence, and we are witnessed an ongoing genocide — politics are absolutely having an impact on the ways we intimately relate.
I could tell you about how my passion for supporting the Palestinian cause is informed by my years living in the Middle East, the Palestinian people I have known, my own ancestor’s history as survivors of genocide, and the kinship I feel with the 700 Romani Gazans as someone with Xoraxane Romani ancestry... but instead, I've put together an article that weaves some of the thoughts that I've been sharing on Instagram in recent months.
This Saturday I'm joining with 20+ other Polyamorous Educators and Content Creators to raise funds for a UK based charity called Medical Aid for Palestine.
Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world. Can you imagine a generation of children with missing limbs, and the medical, emotional, and physical support they will need? Pain medication, prosthesis as they grow, physiotherapy and occupational therapy to help them adapt, not to mention the need for counselling and mental health support for them and their families.
Even once a ceasefire comes, there will remain a tremendous need for medical aid in the Gaza strip.
That's why this fundraiser is so important.
We'll be gathering online for 3 hours to share tools and tips about non-monogamy, and whilst we'll be talking a lot about Polyamory, we'll be holding Palestine and her people in our hearts.
I'll be sharing about Trauma Informed Practices, something that's helpful for our non-monogamous relationships, but also for all our other relationships and connections too.
We've already raised over 10,000 GBP. That's close to $13,000 US Dollars, or $17,000 Canadian Dollars! This money is going to go towards vital medical supplies that will support and save so many lives.
Everyone who signs up will get a recording, and many of the speakers will be hanging out to answer questions in the Zoom chat too!
In addition to this fundraiser, I've been putting together a list of resources related to Palestine, including educational links if you want to learn more about the history of Palestine and Gaza, advocacy links if you want to join the calls for ceasefire, and other charities if you want to donate to other organisations seeking to support the lives of Palestinian civilians.
I hope to see you with us on Saturday, but if you aren't able to make it, or if this isn't the way you like to show your support and solidarity then I do hope we'll be able to connect again in some form soon.
It remains, as always, an honor to be in service to you in your journey of love and relating.
*heading image "When peace dies, embrace it. It will live again" by Palestinian Artist Malak Mattar
I am grateful and humbled to live, love, study and share, as a visitor on the beautiful and sacred Unceded territory of the K’òmoks First Nation, which are traditional territories of the K'omoks, Pentlach, Homalco, Wei Wei Kai, Wei Wei Kum, and Tla'amin peoples — people who have been in relationship with this land and these waters for 10,000 years. Unsubscribe · Preferences
