If you have ever wondered about polyamory this may be the event for you.
Let's Talk About Polyamory is on at the Brackendale Art Gallery: Café & Culture Centre on Feb. 24.
It is billed as an evening of "insights and conversation" featuring two counsellors who specialize in non-monogamous love and relationships.
The event is hosted by locals Tif! Shen and Paola Qualizza.
Shen told The Squamish Chief this is one of several different Nine Tails Studio events, which aim to foster conversation, a safe space and inclusion.
Attendees can ask questions anonymously or out loud, participate in the conversation, or not.
For those unfamiliar, polyamory means engaging in multiple romantic relationships, with the consent of all the people involved.
The guest counsellors at The BAG event include Vancouver's Mason Slavner, a Registered Clinical Counsellor who specializes in sex, relationships and sexual trauma.
"He is a self-proclaimed sex and relationships nerd, and has been on his own poly journey," reads the event listing.
Fellow guest speaker is Registered Social Worker Roxanna Farnsworth, who tells The Squamish Chief that she likes to think of the in-person session as a learning opportunity for both the speakers and attendees.
"It's not like we're going to be talking at people. We want to have a discussion. So when people ask us questions, we want to hear what they have to say," she said.
"The idea is to just be aware of options. To know that there are lots of ways to do relationships and that ... we can talk pretty openly and transparently about what those options are because that creates more comfort and more safety for everybody when we do that. Non-monogamy, in particular swinging, has always been a thing. It's just done in the shadows. The idea of having these in-person meetups is to take some of those discussions out of the shadows and into the open."
While alternative relationships have always existed, Farnsworth says members of the younger generation are much more open to their options in many aspects of their lives.
"The younger generation is just cracking open everything— [they're] cracking open gender, they're cracking open pronouns, they're cracking open sexual orientation and relationship structure," she said.
She added that such events can be resource and community building.
Asked what some of the misconceptions are around polyamory, Farnsworth said some folks think it is all about sex, which is not the case.
As for other misconceptions, she said to think about it as more about the player than the game.
"It matters more about who is connecting than what type of relationship structure they're connecting through," she said.
Another misconception is that polyamory is just a form of cheating.
"I disagree. Cheating happens in every relationship structure, whether you're non-monogamous or you're monogamous," she said.
"The difference tends to be, when you're [polyamorous], you work more intentionally at being transparent, which creates stronger communication structures—and that benefits monogamy, too."
Farnsworth also hopes to dispel the misconception that those who support or partake in polyamory hate monogamy, which she says is not the case.
"I think it's just a viable relationship structure that should be one of the options. So, what I want is for people to know what their choices are, so they can make consensual choices, informed consent, which means you have to have all the information. More than anything else, I want people to be curious about getting the information they need to make the choices for them, that's right for them."
Let's Talk About Polyamory is on at The BAG on Monday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Cost for the event is on a sliding scale from $10 to $30, though organizers say no one will be turned away due to a lack of funds.
Find tickets on Eventbrite by searching "Let's Talk About Polyamory."
