Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Values in community, was sexuality

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

A bit of experience to share that may or may not relate to the issue of 
sexuality. I taught for many years in Greenwich Village in Manhattan in 
a college designed for adult students. I spend a goodly amount of time 
helping painters, dancers, theater people, etc. transition to careers 
and lifestyles that were more conducive to aging (and putting food on 
the table). This kind of life planning requires planning for the 
household, not just the person.

I was often confronted with the need to know whether the "roommate" was 
a consideration or not and had to figure out how to discuss this. It 
was hard, obviously, because people live in all kinds of situations in 
Manhattan and not all are so open about it -- particularly not with 
institutions.

I finally found the right question -- "Is this a committed 
relationship?"

That covered a lot of ground from parent-child, life-partners, etc. It 
also clarified the sexual but not permanent relationships.

I'm not sure how that might help people living in cohousing but it was 
such a relief for me to find that question, that I thought I would 
share it.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org