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 contact [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 i 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 ii 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. iii 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. iv 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. v 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 vi 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