Networks of Many Loves: a History of Alternative Media in the Polyamory Movement

326 Pages·2017·2.26 MB·English

University of Colorado, Boulder
CU Scholar
Journalism & Mass Communication Graduate
Journalism & Mass Communication Program
Theses & Dissertations
Spring 1-1-2016
Networks of Many Loves: a History of Alternative
Media in the Polyamory Movement
Megan Hurson
University of Colorado at Boulder, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at:https://scholar.colorado.edu/jour_gradetds
Part of theGender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons,Mass
Communication Commons, and theSociology Commons
Recommended Citation
Hurson, Megan, "Networks of Many Loves: a History of Alternative Media in the Polyamory Movement" (2016).Journalism & Mass
Communication Graduate Theses & Dissertations. 34.
https://scholar.colorado.edu/jour_gradetds/34
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Journalism & Mass Communication Program at CU Scholar. It has been accepted for
inclusion in Journalism & Mass Communication Graduate Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CU Scholar. For more
information, please [email protected].
University of Colorado, Boulder
CU Scholar
Journalism & Mass Communication Graduate
Journalism & Mass Communication Program
Theses & Dissertations
Spring 1-1-2016
Networks of Many Loves: a History of Alternative
Media in the Polyamory Movement
Megan Hurson
Follow this and additional works at:http://scholar.colorado.edu/jour_gradetds
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Journalism & Mass Communication Program at CU Scholar. It has been accepted for
inclusion in Journalism & Mass Communication Graduate Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CU Scholar. For more
information, please [email protected].
NETWORKS OF MANY LOVES:
A HISTORY OF ALTERNATIVE MEDIA IN THE POLYAMORY MOVEMENT
by
MEGAN HURSON
B.A., Pennsylvania State University, 2005
M.A., Temple University, 2012

A dissertation submitted to the
Faculty of the Graduate School of the
University of Colorado in partial fulfillment
of the requirement for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Media Studies
2016

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This thesis titled:
Networks of Many Loves: A History of Alternative Media in the Polyamory Movement
written by Megan Hurson
has been approved for the Department of Media Studies

Dr. Polly McLean, Ph.D.

Dr. Patrick Greaney, Ph.D.

Dr. Janet Jacobs, Ph.D.

Dr. Kelty Logan, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael Tracey, Ph.D

Date

The final copy of this dissertation has been examined by the signatories, and we
find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards
of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline.

IRB protocol # 14-0150, 15-0101
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ABSTRACT
Hurson, Megan (Ph.D., Media Studies)
Networks of Many Loves: A History of Alternative Media in the Polyamory Movement
Thesis directed by Associate Professor Polly McLean

This dissertation examines the role of media and media technologies in the polyamory movement
from its emergence in 1984 until present day, 2016. Polyamory individuals and the media they
produced have helped educate and support individuals within the polyamory community, as well
as create external awareness and increase visibility in the public sphere. The shift from modern
traditional communication technologies which fosters one-to-many communication models, to
postmodern alternative new media technologies which utilize many-to-many communication
models are mapped upon the changing social and cultural landscape as it pertains to identity
formation, particularly as it relates to the shift in the relationship models of polyamory from a
deconstructionist nuclear family model to a queering individualistic non-hierarchical model.
Employing textual and discourse analysis of the archived material from the Kenneth R. Haslam
Collection at The Kinsey Institute, as well as conducting semi-structured interviews of major
polyamory media practitioners, this project illuminates the ways in which media have been
strategically used to achieve public visibility and to counter mononormative discourses that
privilege monogamy as the normative.

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DEDICATION

Over the course of one’s life there are a handful of people who have truly inspired you to
continue on your journey up the windy, snake-ridden, dusty hill, carrying a bunch of heavy
books on your back that you checked out from the library for too long. There is one person in
particular, however, who was waiting for me on top of that hill, my grandfather, Raymond
Hurson.
I cannot express my gratitude and love for my grandpa in his continued support, compassion,
and praise of me along this journey. Nor will I ever conceptualize the number of people he
has boasted about my journey, including his pharmacist, and probably his proctologist.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Throughout my tenure at CU there has always been one person continually cheering me on,
and making sure that I did not starve on Christmas when I had the flu. This individual has
taught me patience, diligence, craftiness and cleverness, as well as provided endless support
to me, even during times of my stubbornness. Thus I wish to acknowledge my appreciation
for my dissertation chair, Dr. Polly McLean, for providing me the opportunity to work with
her, to grow with her, and to come out on the other side with work that I am proud of.
I would also like to thank my other committee members for their support and participation in
this process, Dr. Patrick Greaney, Dr. Janet Jacobs, Dr. Kelty Logan, and Dr. Michael
Tracey.
Lastly, without a great cohort providing support, and always a beer or wine glass to cheers,
getting through the program would have been impossible and quite the bore. Thank you to
Tyler Rollins and Giulia Evolvi for walking this path with me and showing up to every
academic event as the best cohort that ever could consume as many open bar drinks as
possible.
More importantly, however, has been the kindness, patience, and tender loving care of my
partner, Aaron DeLeon. Thank you for nursing me back to health after a torn ACL,
encouraging me to write through the pain, and for providing me with a mirror to see the
confidence in myself that I needed to finish.

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1
Problem Statement & Significance of Research .................................1
II. DON’T FORGET YOUR ROOTS .........................................................12
Non-Monogamy and the Emergence of Polyamory .........................12
What’s in a Name? ............................................................................20
III. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................25
Sexual Identity Politics .....................................................................25
Mainstream Mediation of Deviant Discourses .................................32
Canon of Polyamory Produced Media Texts ....................................36
Polyamory as a Reconstructive Space ..............................................39
Polyamory as a Social Movement .....................................................45
IV. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS .................................................47
New Social Movements ....................................................................47
Alternative Media and Social Movements ........................................55
Resource Mobilization: Networks as Strategy ..................................59
The Public Sphere: Visibility as Strategy .........................................71
Queering Discourses: Social Construction as Strategy .....................81
Lifestyle Movements ..................................................................95
Research Questions ...........................................................................96
V. METHODS AND PROCEDURES.........................................................97
VI. CENTRALIZING ORGANIZTIONS: BUILDING NON-TRADITIONAL
NETWORKS THROUGH TRADITIONAL MEDIA..........................107
VII. PIONEERS & VOYEURS ....................................................................125
Network Television & Polyamory ..................................................125
Reality Television & Polyamory ....................................................143
Radio & Polyamory ........................................................................148
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VIII. VISIBILITY OF DISPARATE VOICES: THE INTERNET AS A SPACE OF
CONNECTIVITY .................................................................................152
Activist Networks: Linking Ideas ...................................................152
Critical Visibility: Locating Polyamory in Mainstream Media via
Alan M.’s Polyamory in the Media Blog ........................................155
Intimacy Between Your Ears: Podcasting With Cunning Minx on
Polyamory Weekly..........................................................................161
Bite-Sized Lovestyles: Tikva Wolf & Kimchi Cuddles’ Comic ...170
Laughter is the Best Medicine: Terisa Greenan and Family
Webisodes ......................................................................................178
IX. CURATING THE MESSAGE .............................................................190
Press Releases, Media Appearances, and Conferences: Loving More’s
Mainstream Initiatives ....................................................................190
Coming Out To The Public ....................................................191
Loving More Today ...............................................................197
Uniting a Movement: Formation of the Polyamory Leadership
Network...........................................................................................209
Training Media Personalities: Joreth and the Polyamory Media
Association ......................................................................................222
More Than Two Publishing Houses: Franklin Veaux and Thorntree
Press ................................................................................................229
Continuing the Continuum of Sexuality: The Curation of the Dr. Kenneth
Haslam M.D. Polyamory Collection at the Kinsey Institute ..........234
X. INTIMATE PRIVILEGE: AT THE INTERSECTION OF RACE, CLASS,
GENDER, ABILITY, AND SEXUALITIES .......................................237
Intimate Privilege in the Public Sphere ..........................................237
Social Media Communities: Ron Young & the Black and Poly Facebook
Group ..............................................................................................243
Featuring a Plurality of Voices: Kevin Patterson & the Poly Role Models
Blog .................................................................................................253
Intersectional Polyamory Representations ......................................260
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XI. DISCUSSION .......................................................................................269
XII. CONCLUSION .....................................................................................297

BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………..……………………………………………299
APPENDIX……………………..…………………………………………………..312
Glossary of Terms ...........................................................................312
Figures.............................................................................................314

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