AnimusRex
Posts: 2104
Joined: 5/13/2006 Status: offline
|
For poly families, being "outed" can be serious trouble, and not just from nosy old ladies. It is very easy for three consenting adults in say, West Hollywood to proudly say they don't care about public opinion- but in many jurisdictions, if there are children in the home, you can end up losing custody to the state. Unfortunately, Utah happens to be a state uniquely sensitive to polygamy, so you have a dangerous situation on your hands. However, there is no law against having a friend of the family, a sister in law living in the home- extended families are the norm in many cultures. The only thing that needs to be hidden from the law is the sexual component. Actually, kim and I know a family like this- the sister in law lives with the couple and their children, and helps raise them. She travels with them, and at business parties, he shows up with both the wife and her sister. They have lived this way for some 20 years, and no one whispers or gossips about them. Fact is, we don't really know if they are poly or just appear that way. On the other hand, there is never any overt displays of affection to the sister in law, so for all we know, maybe they really are just sisters. Maybe. But the point is, they could be, and are not harrassed or given any trouble by either the neighbors or the law. The only way I know of to handle it is to be as discrete as they are; I would advise keeping the sexual arrangement a secret, on a "need to know" basis, to the extent of separate bedrooms for the sisters and hiding it from the children. Even if people have their suspicions, no one can know what happens in your bedrooms at night and without the testimony of the children, the case would be impossible to prove. I wish you the best of luck.
|