Zambia Keeps Prosecuting Consenting Adults For Marrying

Another news item out of Zambia details the prosecuting of consenting adults in an attempt to break up a marriage. If you think this only happens in Africa, you are sorely mistaken. Where I live, in the US, many states still prosecute in these cases, and it happens in many other countries as well. Chambo Ng'uni reports at dail-mail.co.zm...A 27-YEAR-OLD man of Kabwe and his young sister aged 20 have appeared in the Kabwe Magistrate’s Court to answer to charges of incest. Aaron Musonda an electrician and Maureen Musonda a grade 12 pupil in Kabwe both appeared before Kabwe resident magistrate John Mbuzi on Thursday for explanation of the charge of incest.The accused persons are both residents of Makululu Township and they share the same...

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Posted in: Africa,breaking up homes,brother-sister,consanguineous,courts,family reaction,GSA,incest,lack of equality harms,prosecution,siblings

A Cruel Double Standard

I might need to add #20 to the series NOT a Good Reason to Deny (Consanguineous) Love and #22 to the Discredited Arguments page, because I've heard and read people say that people in consanguinamorous relationships (or step or adoptive relationships that have gone romantic) don't need the freedom to marry because they're already family. In addition to being as senseless as telling a woman she can't marry her sister's husband's brother (which is legal and does happen) because they are already family, the statement can bring up a very cruel double standard.In many situations involving Genetic Sexual Attraction, the lovers are not legally family for the purposes of insurance, benefits, taxes, hospital visitation, next of kin, etc. because they...

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Posted in: consanguineous,freedom to marry,GSA,incest,lack of equality harms,law,marriage equality,myths,prejudice

Have a Look Around

Are you new to this blog? Maybe you've been here before, but have missed some of the features here.Over there in the column on the right you can find ways to connect and to follow this blog. There at the top of the page are tabs that take you to "permanent" pages:There's a Welcome message and there's an About This Blog page, and you can read about the triad that originally inspired this blog.There's a Glossary so that you can become familiar with terms frequently used here. I explain why we need solidarity in supporting full marriage equality and I debunk all the arguments that you'll ever hear made against equality.On the Case Studies page I feature interviews with people who have been denied their rights, so you can "meet" people who are, or have been, in consensual loving relationships...

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Why the South Needs Full Marriage Equality

This is why the South and the rest of the US needs full marriage equality sooner rather than later. It is an interview at The Final Manifesto with a woman who is denied the right to marry the other parent of her child. You can read interviews I have done he...

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Posted in: brother-sister,coming out,consanguineous,family reaction,lack of equality harms,love,pregnancy,siblings,US

Frequently Asked Question: Can Siblings Marry?

The following is based on my understanding. I’m not at attorney and this should not be considered legal advice.Can siblings marry? I’m not aware of any government that will currently marry full-blood siblings or recognize a marriage of full-blood siblings; rather, if it was discovered by the authorities after an official marriage was formed that the spouses were, in fact, siblings, the marriage would be dissolved and considered invalid. If the spouses knew they were siblings when they married, they would be subject to prosecution. If they discovered the genetic relationship after getting married, they would have to file for an annulment or dissolution or risk prosecution.Where sibling consanguinamory isn’t still banned by law, siblings can...

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Posted in: brother-brother,brother-sister,consanguineous,FAQ,freedom to marry,incest,siblings,sister-sister

Possible GSA Case Makes News

Not everyone who is arrested or prosecuted for consensual sex is a sympathetic person overall. Sometimes, they've done other things that should continue to be crimes. Regardless of whether someone is a career criminal or a true pillar of the community, consensual relationships and sex between adults should not be a crime, and should not be fodder for ridicule in what are supposed to be serious news services. Stories like the one below are not justification to deny full marriage equality. For every situation like the one detailed below, there are many great people who are in consanguinamorous relationships and you never heard about them. Or, they are famous and admired, but their consanguinamory remains closeted.Here is Lee Moran's article at...

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Posted in: brother-sister,consanguineous,GSA,incest,law,media,prosecution,reunion,siblings,Texas

Newspaper Editorial Calls For Hate

A newspaper in Zambia is calling for more hate in response to recent shocking discoveries that people are loving each other even though they are siblings. Here is the editorial at daily-mail.co.zm... THE continued reports of incestuous marriages in Central Province are worrying and raise many social and psychological questions.What is there to worry about?We urge relevant Government organs and non-governmental organisations to carry out a research to establish if this could be widespread and unravel the factors that could be driving people in this particular province into such marriages.Yes, it is common. What is driving them to it is usually the same thing that drives any lovers. This kind of behaviour should not be allowed...

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Posted in: Africa,breaking up homes,brother-sister,children,consanguineous,family reaction,incest,lack of equality harms,law,media,persecution,prejudice,siblings,stigma

The Invisible Asterisk

Sometimes, when someone writes (or says) that they support the freedom to marry or, marriage equality, or #Marriage4All, or “love is love” or something like “The sex lives of consenting adults is nobody else’s business.,” there is an invisible asterisk. You know, one of these ==> *What might really be going on is this…“Consenting adults should be free to marry each other.”**Unless you mean something I don’t like or think is disgusting, like polygamy, open marriage, or consensual adult incest.I don’t do that. There is no asterisk in this statement…I support the rights of an adult to share love, sex, residence, and marriage with any and all consenting adults, without prosecution, bullying, or discrimination.There is no asterisk after “adult.” An “adult” includes any person, regardless of...

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Posted in: allies,freedom to marry,marriage equality,politicians,prejudice,solidarity,terminology

An Example of the Benefit of Nonmonogamy in Nature

I am polyamorous, but not one of those polyamorists who say everyone else should be polyamorous, too. When I say I support the rights of consenting adults, that includes the freedom to be monogamous or celibate. And, as I always say, just because something is found in another species, it doesn't automatically apply to humans. With those things out of the way, I wanted to note Carl Zimmer's report at nytimes.com that flies forced into monogamy apparently lose learning ability.Forcing male flies into monogamy has a startling effect: After a few dozen generations, the flies become worse at learning.This discovery, published on Wednesday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, isn’t a biological excuse for men who have strayed from their significant...

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Posted in: academia,human origins,lack of equality harms,monogamy,open,polyamory,polygamy,science

Ten Myths About Sibling Consanguinamory

I’ve noticed some common myths expressed about sibling consanguinamory. In this instance, by consanguinamory, I mean everything from curious exploration and experimenting to erotic romance, including masturbating in front of each other, erotic kissing, sexual touching or rubbing, oral sex, intercourse, etc.This entry is NOT addressing molestation, assault, or abuse.I’m referring to adult siblings, or minor siblings who are close in age, engaging in mutual affection or experimentation, without coercion, force, or intimidation. It may be two siblings alone, it may be three or more siblings, or it may be two or more siblings involved together with one or more people outside of the immediate family.These myths need to be addressed, because they...

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Posted in: brother-brother,brother-sister,consanguineous,FAQ,GSA,incest,love,myths,prejudice,siblings,sister-sister,stigma

New Republic Insults Hundreds of Millions

Alice Robb wrote at "The Strange Scholarship of Incest" at newrepublic.com...Whether or not Meryl Streep deserves to win Best Actress for her turn as the deranged matriarch in August: Osage County is up for debate, but everyone who’s seen Tracy Letts’s play or the film adaptation should be able to agree on at least one thing: It makes for some uncomfortable viewing. And of all the disturbing elements that make up this saga—alcoholism, suicide, adultery—there’s one plotline that stands out as truly disturbing: the incestuous romance between Ivy and Little Charles, who believe they’re first cousins but—spoiler alert—turn out to be half-siblings.Why is that disturbing?Disgust seems like a pretty appropriate response to an affair between...

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Posted in: academia,brother-sister,children,consanguineous,cousins,family reaction,media,prejudice,science,siblings,stigma

Taking the Steps

I have frequently seen the question asked, “It is incest to date my stepbrother?” or “Would marrying my stepsister be incestuous?”Romance, dating, sex, or marriage between step relations is not literally consanguinamory, but is often subject to the same prejudices, which in some places and cases includes criminalization, as consanguinamorous relationships. With Discredited Argument #18 not a factor, the excuse to try to deny others their relationships is usually Discredited Arguments #1, 3, 19, or 21.Although someone may try to control our relationships, we can’t effectively control what other people do with their love lives and we shouldn’t try. We don’t pick who our family members love or marry. As such, sometimes someone is brought into...

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Posted in: boundaries,family reaction,FAQ,incest,love,prejudice

Guilty Pleas in Absurd Prosecution of Consenting Adults

Frank Humphreys and Eleanor JacksonTo update a case we last reported here, Duncan Bick reports at newsandstar.co.uk that law enforcement official in Cumbria, England have gone ahead with their ridiculous and unjust prosecution of consenting adults for having sex with each other in private. Outrageous. Frank Humphreys, 51, and 23-year-old Eleanor Jackson both pleaded guilty to a charge of “having sex with an adult relative” during a brief appearance at Carlisle Crown Court.The pair, of Princess Street, Cleator, appeared at the same court last year and denied the charge but they changed their pleas yesterday.There's no victim! Why is this a crime? They...

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Posted in: consanguineous,courts,father-daughter,GSA,incest,lack of equality harms,law,prejudice,prosecution,UK

Facebook and Twitter and More

Have you joined the Facebook group yet? Join "I Support Full Marriage Equality." You should also like this page, Full Marriage Equality, and we meant that.Are we Facebook friends? I want to be friends with all who support full marriage equality and relationship rights for all adults. Here I am.Are we connected on Twitter? Here I am.Are we connected on Tumblr? Here I am.If you don't want to connect, still feel free to send me a note. I can be reached at fullmarriageequality at yahoo dot comYou can also follow this blog by scrolling down in the column on the right and clicking on "Join This Site" under "Followers."...

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Posted in: marriage equality

Ally for Equality in New Zealand

Adam Bennett reports at nzherald.com about a political party's leader speaking up for equality.New Act Leader Jamie Whyte is standing by his comments that incestuous relationships between consenting adults should not be illegal and says it would be "intellectually corrupt" of him not to be honest when asked such questions. In an article published on The Ruminator website, former philosophy lecturer Dr Whyte was asked whether the state should intervene if adult siblings wanted to marry each other.Good for him.Dr Whyte told the Herald his response was based on his belief that: "I don't think the state should intervene in consensual adult sex or marriage, but there are two very important elements here - consensual and adult".We need more people to speak up for full marriage equali...

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Posted in: allies,consanguineous,marriage equality,New Zealand,politicians

Is Being Poly Genetic?

The Ferrett addresses, “Polyamory Genetic? Is Homosexuality Genetic?”My thoughts on a genetic polyamory link are the exact same as my thoughts on a genetic homosexual link:I don’t care.Right! We have many things, including the technology I’m using to write this and you are using to read this, which are not part of our genetics. What difference does it make? See Discredited Argument #5.Even if the gays were, as some suggest, all conspiring in one big plot to annoy us fine-thinking straight people, wincing as they sucked distasteful d--- and reluctantly chowed p---y out of some misplaced form of rebellion, it should still be allowed.The truth is, gay sex is between consenting adults, and it hurts no one but those adults – there are way more deadly...

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Posted in: allies,FAQ,freedom to marry,LGBT,polyamory,science,stigma

The US Supreme Court Should Rule for Equality

In June 2013, the US Supreme Court took baby steps forward towards full marriage equality. Since then, federal courts and the Obama Administration have been taking more steps forward. But there is still a long way to go and still wasteful resistance to progress.The Court should consolidate and consider many federal cases now in the system. We want the US Supreme Court to make the best possible ruling, which is to recognize relationship rights, including full marriage equality, for all adults nationwide.The Court should rule that…An adult, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion, should be free to share love, sex, residence, and marriage with any and all consenting adults, without prosecution, harassment, or discrimination.There...

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Posted in: boundaries,courts,freedom to marry,law,marriage equality,US

Why? Many of the Same Reasons Anyone Else Does It

Vicky Wireko wrote at myjoyonline.com under "Reality Zone: Why would a father sleep with his biological daughter?"Without yet getting to the text of the piece, the terms need to be defined. By "sleep," she no doubt means intercourse. But is she referring to rape or is she referring to consensual sex?  Rape and lovemaking are two different things. Rape should always be illegal. Lovemaking should never be illegal. But "biological daughter" can mean a woman the father didn't meet or didn't have a relationship with until she was an adult, or at least hasn't had a relationship with since an early age. Consanguinamory initiated through Genetic Sexual Attraction has a different dynamic than consanguinamory growing from an existing sociological...

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Posted in: consanguineous,FAQ,father-daughter,prejudice

Has Your Partner Experienced Consanguinamory?

I used be active at a certain Big Internet Portal's Question and Answer service, until someone who couldn’t handle me answering questions truthfully when it comes to certain romantic or sexual topics decided to get me "suspended" using a weakness in their automated system. I still will check to see what questions are being asked there, even though I can't participate in any way or even contact anyone there unless they have somehow provided an email address in their question or answer. I will not link to the service, but I will quote it. Someone named Lauren asked this question...Ok.....complicated one, recently found out my husband and his younger sister had sex for a number of years between the ages of 10-12, this is what he's telling me tho...

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Posted in: boundaries,brother-sister,cheating,coming out,consanguineous,family reaction,FAQ,incest,siblings,stigma

Novels to Buy

[Bumping this up... just because!] I’m not going to pretend I can give an unbiased review of Diane Rinella’s new book, Time’s Forbidden Flower, which completes the story began in Love’s Forbidden Flower, the novel I first blogged about here. After all, I have been in ongoing contact with Rinella and the plot of the works involves something near and dear to my heart. Also, I may have influenced this latest work. There’s a third work involved: "Love’s Erotic Flower," a short story which was released between the two novels and is a sizzling detailing of the sexual coupling (over multiple encounters) between the main characters.One need not read the novels to enjoy "Erotic" nor read "Erotic" to enjoy the novels, but both novels should be read in...

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Posted in: allies,boundaries,brother-sister,consanguineous,love,media,siblings