Open letter to the Canadian Polyamory Community from John Ince Hello everyone: It has been two weeks since the Polygamy Reference court decision was released by Chief Justice Baumann of the BC Supreme Court. I have thought a great deal about the case since then, and communicated with lawyers and people in our legal team about how that decision affects the members of the Canadian polyamory community. Thoughts only –
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The decision is in. Although the law was upheld, the judge’s interpretation means that most of the poly majority isn’t criminalized. However, those who have formalized their commitments aren’t out of the woods.

There’s more in our press release and in the judge’s reasons.

Our thanks go out to all the community members who’ve supported us. The CPAA is in this for the long haul. We will continue our work, on appeal, in Parliament, or wherever it takes, until all loving, healthy polyamorous relationships are fully accepted in Canada. And we’ll still need your help.

We are, of course, still and always available for interviews at +1 778 786 8010.

On Wednesday of this week coming (November 23rd), Chief Justice Robert Bauman will release his decision with regards to the BC Supreme Court reference case on section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada (known as the Polygamy Law).  Both the legal counsel involved in the case and the media will be in a lock down room and allowed to view the decision and reasons on that morning slightly before
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The Court has announced that the judgement will be released at 10:00 (AM, Vancouver time), on November 23, 2011. The reasons for decision will posted here at that time: http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/recent_Judgments.aspx There will be about an hour and half of supervised early access for the parties’ counsel and the media, but any counsel or media people who participate will not be allowed to communicate with the “outside world” until release time.
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Join Friends of CPAA Advocacy Team – on Facebook and/or  google group: Friends of CPAA Advocacy Team Visit this group We are actively recruiting people who would like to participate in a coordinated advocacy team. There are tasks for all levels of “out”-ness and comfort: – Media watch (spot articles to which we ought to be responsive) – Write letters to the editor, and /or letters to politicians and bureaucrats.
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CPAA has T-Shirts up for sale at http://www.zazzle.ca/polyadvocacy A portion of the purchase price goes to further our our work. Zazzle produces and ships the shirts. Suggestions for slogans and designs encouraged. Check back periodically for new items. Wear one to Pride celebrations both in the parades and on the sidelines. Wear one to poly group events. Keep a supply to give to newbies to your group as a welcome.
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(By guest blogger – Shanesmom) Polyamory is a growing social phenomenon that is becoming more visible and whose members seek to challenge discriminatory laws and policies that would criminalize their families. This was a main theme of the April 11 Panel Discussion hosted by the Vancouver Polyamory Group (Vanpoly) at The Junction House Pub in Vancouver that drew about 150 supporters. The panel coincided with the closing arguments of the
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The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) has obtained the right (a first in BC) to video tape court proceedings of the closing arguments and is webcasting live only (video and sound) here: Starts March 28, at 10 am Pacific Standard Time Here
Wait for the commercial and the video is there when court is in session.
Schedule of presentation of closing arguments are here:

Among those affected by the “polygamy law”, polyamorists are the ones with the numbers.

So who chose Bountiful to be the public face?

Most polyamorists don’t think of ourselves as “polygamous”, but the law does. The “polygamy law” says modern, secular, egalitarian conjugal polyamorists should go to prison.

For every polygynous family in Bountiful, Canada has dozens, maybe hundreds, of polyamorous families. At a minimum, there are about as many of us as there are Muslim polygynists… who also vastly outnumber Bountiful. We may outnumber even Muslims… by as much as 15 to 1. Invisibility hurts us… and it’s not deserved.

Click the headline for details.

This essay by the Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness, with several chapters in the United States,  has an excellent discussion of the nature of the separate polyamorist and polygamy communities. http://uupa.org/Literature/PolygamyComparison.htm