Cohousing-L Mailing List: Polyamory et al and Ethnic Diversity

[Cascadia Commons Cohousing (cccoho]

Thanks, Verna, for your important posting.  I've been sitting out the
thread on polyamory, not knowing quite how to respond to the surprising (to
me) interest in the topic.  I guess I am part of the group who want
diversity in sexual orientation as well as other forms of diversity and
expect diversity in sexual practices among consenting adults, without
wanting to feature it as a special attraction of cohousing.  

What prompted me to respond to your posting was my own sadness that in four
years of reaching out to the broad community we haven't yet attracted a
member of any ethnic minority to significant interest in joining our group.
In fact, we have had almost no inquires or approaches of any kind.  Your
communication provides some insights as to ways we might do better in this
regard.  

Our community is still in the preconstruction stage (on the threshold for
over a year now) and we haven't had a chance to learn all that much about
how diverse we are in sexual or child rearing practices. (Well, we do know a
good deal about child-rearing practices -- we have LOTS of meetings and
potlucks.) Two of our 14 present households are "traditional families" in
form, at least, with a mother, a father, and one or two young children. We
eagerly anticipate more such.  The rest are singles and (married, as it
happens) couples spread out over an age range from about 30-75.   I wouldn't
say we were a representative sample of middle class white America (turned
out in a post-election poll in 1996 that we had all voted for the same
presidential candidate - and most of us with the rationale that we wouldn't
have if it appeared that the election issue was in doubt.)  But I really do
believe we are the kind of community where you would be welcomed without
being made a "pet."

Any insights on how to lower our barriers to other ethnic groups would be
welcome.

George Stone
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