Life Sentence in Nevada Case

Updating a case we last covered here, a man has been sentenced to life in prison (with the possibility of parole) in Nevada for "incest." Life is an appropriate sentence for rape. I had not previously seen any indication that this was rape, and he wasn't changed with with rape. Remember, the age of consent in Nevada is 16. Here's the the article at elkodaily.com by Dylan Woolf Harris...A young woman — who five years earlier was a teenage victim of incest — testified Thursday in Elko District Court to the humiliation, anger and isolation she has suffered.  Rarely looking up and never at defendant Aaron Hughes, the victim tearfully read a letter she wrote for the court addressing how the crime affected her life.“I have lost so...

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Posted in: consanguineous,courts,incest,lack of equality harms,law,Nevada,prosecution,stigma,Utah

Life Sentence in Nevada Case

Updating a case we last covered here, a man has been sentenced to life in prison (with the possibility of parole) in Nevada for "incest." Life is an appropriate sentence for rape. I had not previously seen any indication that this was rape, and he wasn't changed with with rape. Remember, the age of consent in Nevada is 16. Here's the the article at elkodaily.com by Dylan Woolf Harris...A young woman — who five years earlier was a teenage victim of incest — testified Thursday in Elko District Court to the humiliation, anger and isolation she has suffered.  Rarely looking up and never at defendant Aaron Hughes, the victim tearfully read a letter she wrote for the court addressing how the crime affected her life.“I have lost so...

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Posted in: consanguineous,courts,incest,lack of equality harms,law,Nevada,prosecution,stigma,Utah

If We Could Talk to the Animals

Jenny Block, who has written about open marriage, wrote that there are some interesting comparisons between humans and other animals when it comes to sexuality. How often have we heard that some relationship isn’t “natural?”As she says, “Just because animals do certain things doesn’t prove that we necessarily do them too.” But sometimes humans can be compared to other animals, and the comparisons have weight. We might be able to get some good ideas from them.She points out that animals flirt, they masturbate, they watch other animals express their sexuality, even through video.They exhibit habits other than monogamy. They are polygamous and polygynous. And they are social monogamists as well as serial monogamists, even swans. Bonobos, for example, have multiple sexual partners at any given...

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Posted in: consanguineous,group,incest,LGBT,myths,open,polygamy,same-sex,science

Utah Charges Consenting Adults in Victimless Crime

Utah, the only US state I know of that criminalizes polyamory, is demonstrating another waste of taxpayer resources by prosecuting two consenting adults for loving each other. Erin Alberty reports at sltrib.com about what could be a case of Genetic Sexual Attraction... A Bluffdale woman and her father have been charged with incest pursuant to allegations they had a sexual relationship.Who complained? Who was harmed? Why is this a criminal matter? The woman, who was raised by adoptive parents, was 21 when she met her biological father in 2010, police wrote in charges filed Monday.He did not raise her. She has sociological parents. He's not one of them. There was no chance she was "groomed" by him. They are CONSENTING ADULTS. Why is this a...

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Posted in: consanguineous,father-daughter,GSA,incest,lack of equality harms,law,love,prejudice,prosecution,reunion,Utah

Utah Charges Consenting Adults in Victimless Crime

Utah, the only US state I know of that criminalizes polyamory, is demonstrating another waste of taxpayer resources by prosecuting two consenting adults for loving each other. Erin Alberty reports at sltrib.com about what could be a case of Genetic Sexual Attraction... A Bluffdale woman and her father have been charged with incest pursuant to allegations they had a sexual relationship.Who complained? Who was harmed? Why is this a criminal matter? The woman, who was raised by adoptive parents, was 21 when she met her biological father in 2010, police wrote in charges filed Monday.He did not raise her. She has sociological parents. He's not one of them. There was no chance she was "groomed" by him. They are CONSENTING ADULTS. Why is this a...

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Posted in: consanguineous,father-daughter,GSA,incest,lack of equality harms,law,love,prejudice,prosecution,reunion,Utah

So Many Questions About Georgia Case Against Father

There's a lot of helpful information missing from this article at moultrieobserver.com by Alan Mauldin, though Mr. Mauldin is probably limited by what law enforcement will release.A man thought to have fathered up to eight children with his daughter faces incest charges in Colquitt County and could face charges in other jurisdictions in Alabama and Georgia.Notice the article says "incest charges," not assault, rape, etc. So far, the article doesn't mention her age, which matters.Ruben Fernando-Lopez, 41, 111 Oak St., was charged here on June 19 with three counts of incest.The daughter has told authorities that a pair of twins -- her third pregnancy -- miscarried about three months into the pregnancy.The youngest child, who was born premature...

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Posted in: Alabama,breaking up homes,children,consanguineous,father-daughter,Georgia,GSA,incest,pregnancy,prosecution

So Many Questions About Georgia Case Against Father

There's a lot of helpful information missing from this article at moultrieobserver.com by Alan Mauldin, though Mr. Mauldin is probably limited by what law enforcement will release.A man thought to have fathered up to eight children with his daughter faces incest charges in Colquitt County and could face charges in other jurisdictions in Alabama and Georgia.Notice the article says "incest charges," not assault, rape, etc. So far, the article doesn't mention her age, which matters.Ruben Fernando-Lopez, 41, 111 Oak St., was charged here on June 19 with three counts of incest.The daughter has told authorities that a pair of twins -- her third pregnancy -- miscarried about three months into the pregnancy.The youngest child, who was born premature...

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Posted in: Alabama,breaking up homes,children,consanguineous,father-daughter,Georgia,GSA,incest,pregnancy,prosecution

SCOTUS Gives Victories on Marriage

The Supreme Court of the United States has given victories on marriage, although just about the weakest possible. They issued decisions on the federal DOMA, which denied equal treatment to same-gender marriages under federal law, and California's Proposition 8 (Prop H8). DOMA is dead! In the PropH8 case, they decided those defending the discrimination didn't have standing to defend it.The basic gist is that progress was made, but the Court did not recognize that there is a right for an adult to marry any and all consenting adults, or even that a gay or lesbian person has a right to the limited same-gender freedom to marry.So, congratulations to all who will now have their marriage treated equally under federal law & to Californians who...

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Posted in: boundaries,California,courts,DOMA,freedom to marry,law,LGBT,marriage equality,Proposition 8,same-sex,USA

SCOTUS Gives Victories on Marriage

The Supreme Court of the United States has given victories on marriage, although just about the weakest possible. They issued decisions on the federal DOMA, which denied equal treatment to same-gender marriages under federal law, and California's Proposition 8 (Prop H8). DOMA is dead! In the PropH8 case, they decided those defending the discrimination didn't have standing to defend it.The basic gist is that progress was made, but the Court did not recognize that there is a right for an adult to marry any and all consenting adults, or even that a gay or lesbian person has a right to the limited same-gender freedom to marry.So, congratulations to all who will now have their marriage treated equally under federal law & to Californians who...

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Posted in: boundaries,California,courts,DOMA,freedom to marry,law,LGBT,marriage equality,Proposition 8,same-sex,USA

Results of Surveying Polyamorous People

Over a year ago, the largest survey to date of polyamorous people was conducted by Loving More (http://www.lovemore.com/),with the endorsement of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom https://www.ncsfreedom.org/) (NCSF). Here's what came of it.Based upon these survey results, the [polyamorous community] is significantly more educated, with a Bachelor’s degree being the most commonly-held degree, while a high school diploma is the most commonly-held degree among the general US population.On the polyamous freedom to marry....LM 2012 respondents were asked, “If it were legal, would you be open to being married to more than one person concurrently?” Nearly two-thirds (65.9%) of respondents answered “yes,” 19.7% answered “not sure,”...

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Posted in: freedom to marry,polyamory,prejudice,science

Results of Surveying Polyamorous People

Over a year ago, the largest survey to date of polyamorous people was conducted by Loving More (http://www.lovemore.com/),with the endorsement of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom https://www.ncsfreedom.org/) (NCSF). Here's what came of it.Based upon these survey results, the [polyamorous community] is significantly more educated, with a Bachelor’s degree being the most commonly-held degree, while a high school diploma is the most commonly-held degree among the general US population.On the polyamous freedom to marry....LM 2012 respondents were asked, “If it were legal, would you be open to being married to more than one person concurrently?” Nearly two-thirds (65.9%) of respondents answered “yes,” 19.7% answered “not sure,”...

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Posted in: freedom to marry,polyamory,prejudice,science

Equality For All

P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, a “queer polytheist, author, educator, and poet,” wrote in a column what I consider to be a good call to solidarity for sexual freedom under the law, whether it can be proven that someone is “born this way” or not…I would hope that the eventual goal of queer activism is not that gay and straight people have equal rights to marriage benefits, employment, adoption and child custody, service in the armed forces, and freedom from discrimination. Certainly all of those goals are admirable and important; but, thinking in those terms just creates further categories of persons that can be potentially limiting. What about bisexuals? What about polyamorous people? What about gender-variant people? While some of these groups might get knock-on benefits from the other equality...

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Posted in: allies,bisexual,boundaries,LGBT,marriage equality,myths,persecution,polyamory,prejudice,solidarity

Equality For All

P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, a “queer polytheist, author, educator, and poet,” wrote in a column what I consider to be a good call to solidarity for sexual freedom under the law, whether it can be proven that someone is “born this way” or not…I would hope that the eventual goal of queer activism is not that gay and straight people have equal rights to marriage benefits, employment, adoption and child custody, service in the armed forces, and freedom from discrimination. Certainly all of those goals are admirable and important; but, thinking in those terms just creates further categories of persons that can be potentially limiting. What about bisexuals? What about polyamorous people? What about gender-variant people? While some of these groups might get knock-on benefits from the other equality...

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Posted in: allies,bisexual,boundaries,LGBT,marriage equality,myths,persecution,polyamory,prejudice,solidarity

Season Finale for VH1 Marriage Series

Emily Exton at vh1.com tells us what is coming up tomorrow on I’m Married To A… Live-in couple Ali and Lorne use their home of San Francisco as a playground for “second base parties,” which is likely not something you took part in back in your Little League days. “I just have an insatiable appetite for sex,” Ali explains. “So I like to date like three guys at a time because then no one person is exhausted.” And everyone is okay with that?It's not for everyone, but it is for some. On the season finale of I’m Married To A…, we meet a polyamorous couple, who explain how they step outside their relationship to meet their physical needs, ultimately allowing themselves to fall in love with multiple people to capitalize on the ...

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Posted in: boundaries,media,open,polyamory,swinging

Season Finale for VH1 Marriage Series

Emily Exton at vh1.com tells us what is coming up tomorrow on I’m Married To A… Live-in couple Ali and Lorne use their home of San Francisco as a playground for “second base parties,” which is likely not something you took part in back in your Little League days. “I just have an insatiable appetite for sex,” Ali explains. “So I like to date like three guys at a time because then no one person is exhausted.” And everyone is okay with that?It's not for everyone, but it is for some. On the season finale of I’m Married To A…, we meet a polyamorous couple, who explain how they step outside their relationship to meet their physical needs, ultimately allowing themselves to fall in love with multiple people to capitalize on the ...

Read more »

Posted in: boundaries,media,open,polyamory,swinging

Endearing Ally Performs Song for Equality

Wouldn't you like to have someone like this supporting your love? Wouldn't you like to be someone like this?...

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Posted in: allies,family reaction,freedom to marry,LGBT,love,same-sex

National Security vs Individual Privacy in the Big Data Era

By:  Timothy P. FlynnThis post is about the rights of a now famous arrest warrant fugitive, and about each of our rights to maintain private electronic data.The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees rights to all private citizens:...to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.This important amendment arose, in part, as a response to abuses of power during the American Revolution associated with the reviled "writ of assistance"; a general...

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Posted in: Aaron Swartz,Big Data,Edward Snowden,Espionage Act of 1917,Fourth Amendment,Juian Assange,NSA,privacy rights

Cousin Marriages From a Genetic Perspective

A blog about gene expression at Discover Magazine took a look at “the individual & social risks of cousin marriage,” and it even had maps.In the United States there’s a stereotype of cousin marriage being the practice of backward hillbillies or royalty. For typical middle class folk it’s relatively taboo, with different legal regimes by state. The history of cousin marriage in the West has been one of ups & downs. Marriage between close relatives was not unknown in antiquity. The pagan emperor Claudius married his niece Agrippina the Younger, while the Christian emperor Heraclius married his niece Martina. Marriage between cousins were presumably more common.How did things change?With the rise in the West of the Roman Catholic Church marriages between cousins were officially more constrained....

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Posted in: consanguineous,cousins,Islam,religion,science,UK

Having What the Royals Had

David Dobbs wrote at National Geographic about consanguineous sex among royals.Royal incest, notes historian Joanne Carando, was "not only accepted but even encouraged" in Hawaii as an exclusive royal privilege.In fact, while virtually every culture in recorded history has held sibling or parent-child couplings taboo, royalty have been exempted in many societies, including ancient Egypt, Inca Peru, and, at times, Central Africa, Mexico, and Thailand. And while royal families in Europe avoided sibling incest, many, including the Hohenzollerns of Prussia, the Bourbons of France, and the British royal family, often married cousins. The Spanish Habsburgs, who ruled for nearly 200 years, frequently married among close relatives.Sadly, those who do as the royals did are now often prosecuted and...

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Posted in: Africa,children,consanguineous,Europe,Hawaii,Latin America,science

Having What the Royals Had

David Dobbs wrote at National Geographic about consanguineous sex among royals.Royal incest, notes historian Joanne Carando, was "not only accepted but even encouraged" in Hawaii as an exclusive royal privilege.In fact, while virtually every culture in recorded history has held sibling or parent-child couplings taboo, royalty have been exempted in many societies, including ancient Egypt, Inca Peru, and, at times, Central Africa, Mexico, and Thailand. And while royal families in Europe avoided sibling incest, many, including the Hohenzollerns of Prussia, the Bourbons of France, and the British royal family, often married cousins. The Spanish Habsburgs, who ruled for nearly 200 years, frequently married among close relatives.Sadly, those who do as the royals did are now often prosecuted and...

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Posted in: Africa,children,consanguineous,Europe,Hawaii,Latin America,science

Detroit: Too Big to Fail?

Here in the 313, we're used to having it rough.  This is a place where nothing comes easy.  Detroit has been existing within the shadow of a lost world-class status since the riots in 1967.Now that Washington D.C. lawyer and Snyder-appointed emergency manager Kevin Orr has settled-in and taken a look around here in the "D", it's starting to look like this appointment may have come too late.There is a mountain of things to correct; the deep oaken roots of 100-years of corruption need to be pulled out of the Detroit soil; it is proving very difficult.  The prospect of the largest municipal bankruptcy in United States history is now looming large; the consequences of the decades of mismanagement are coming home to roost.Mr. Orr...

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Posted in: bankruptcy,Detroit,Governor Rick Snyder,Kevin Orr,lawyer

SCOTUS: Your Silence Can Be Used Against You

We here at the Law Blogger have some friends among the ranks of state prosecutors and law enforcement.  From time to time, we are treated to the "nuts-and-bolts" of the cold-case process from these professionals.This post involves the ultimate resolution of a cold murder case and the result of that case now affects all citizens in their [hopefully occasional] interactions with law enforcement.  SCOTUS ruled yesterday that the silence of an accused, during questioning from the police, can be used against the suspect at his trial unless the person affirmatively asserts his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.In Salinas v Texas, the defendant was voluntarily discussing the 1992 murders of two brothers when he accompanied police to...

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Posted in: criminal defense lawyer,Fifth Amendment,right to silence,Salinas v Texas,SCOTUS

Dan Savage Column Missing Very Important Details

This blog has covered Dan Savage's column before when it has dealt with father fantasies. I was bothered by this recent edition because of some important details that aren't provided.No Acronym Seems To Yodel writes in... I’m a straight guy in my early 30s with an amazing girlfriend of two years. A few months ago, I felt open enough to share my taboo fantasy: father-daughter incest. My GF, to my delight, not only understands the fantasy but enjoys participating in it!As regular readers of this blog know, I prefer using the terms "consanguineous sex" and "consanguinamory" precisely for the problem here. "Incest" can mean very different things. The letter never makes it clear whether this fantasy is about consensual sex with an adult daughter,...

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Posted in: boundaries,consanguineous,father-daughter,incest,media,terminology

Dan Savage Column Missing Very Important Details

This blog has covered Dan Savage's column before when it has dealt with father fantasies. I was bothered by this recent edition because of some important details that aren't provided.No Acronym Seems To Yodel writes in... I’m a straight guy in my early 30s with an amazing girlfriend of two years. A few months ago, I felt open enough to share my taboo fantasy: father-daughter incest. My GF, to my delight, not only understands the fantasy but enjoys participating in it!As regular readers of this blog know, I prefer using the terms "consanguineous sex" and "consanguinamory" precisely for the problem here. "Incest" can mean very different things. The letter never makes it clear whether this fantasy is about consensual sex with an adult daughter,...

Read more »

Posted in: boundaries,consanguineous,father-daughter,incest,media,terminology

US Supreme Court Should Make Bold Move For Equality

The US Supreme Court has heard arguments about both DOMA and Prop H8 and could issue a ruling any day now. DOMA denies same-gender marriages recognition at the national level and has been very problematic, including for members of the US military and immigrants. Prop H8 took away the same-gender freedom to marry in California. Cases about both laws had been making their way through the courts and are now at the Supreme Court. There are many possible outcomes, some seen as more likely than others. It is possible that the Court could end up ruling next month, in June, to strike down DOMA so that same-gender marriages granted in states that currently have them will be recognized by the federal government, and letting lower court decisions striking...

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Posted in: boundaries,courts,DOMA,freedom to marry,law,LGBT,marriage equality,polyamory,Proposition 8,solidarity,USA

US Supreme Court Should Make Bold Move For Equality

The US Supreme Court has heard arguments about both DOMA and Prop H8 and could issue a ruling any day now. DOMA denies same-gender marriages recognition at the national level and has been very problematic, including for members of the US military and immigrants. Prop H8 took away the same-gender freedom to marry in California. Cases about both laws had been making their way through the courts and are now at the Supreme Court. There are many possible outcomes, some seen as more likely than others. It is possible that the Court could end up ruling next month, in June, to strike down DOMA so that same-gender marriages granted in states that currently have them will be recognized by the federal government, and letting lower court decisions striking...

Read more »

Posted in: boundaries,courts,DOMA,freedom to marry,law,LGBT,marriage equality,polyamory,Proposition 8,solidarity,USA

A Familiar Tale

Someone has posted an interesting entry (the only one, from what I saw when I checked) on a blogspot. Johnny wrote this definitely Not Safe For Work entry...This is a short story of a consensual sibling love affair between a guy named Johnny and his older sister, Shannon.  Yeah, I'm Johnny..So Shannon and I grew up as 100% blood siblings in a normal, healthy family.  A Dad, a Mom, 2 kids, a cat,  a tortoise, and 2 dogs.  Nice neighborhood.We were happy teenagers back in the 1970's.  Shannon was 2 years older than me, and she was a "beautiful female specimen".  Yeah, I obviously grew up watching "Star Trek" on prime time TV in the late 60's, and after that I watched the reruns of "Star Trek" over and over again in the 1970's.The entry gets steamy and detailed...

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Posted in: brother-sister,consanguineous,love,siblings