War and Peace

BBC has adapted War and Peace, and one of the things getting notice is an "incest" element. There was an article here at independent.ie way back in late November by Aoife Kelly.

The small screen adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic story of love and betrayal set in Russia boasts a cast of names including Jim Broadbent, Gillian Anderson, Paul Dano, Brian Cox and Lily James of Downton Abbey fame.

The series also features nude scenes and incest storyline featuring a brother and sister. 

Why not? It happens in life and always has, and it has been an element in our stories as long as storytelling has been around.

Andrew Davies, who previously adapted Pride and Prejudice, wrote the series and, speaking to The Telegraph, he defended his work on War and Peace.

“Tolstoy hints very clearly that the characters of Helene and Anatole Kuragin have been having an incestuous relationship," he said.

“The convention of the day means that Tolstoy would never have actually written the scene.”

He also added that yes, there is nudity in it and said, "When you expect someone to be nude, they are."

Recently, theguardian.com had Davies defending his decision...

Andrew Davies has said the incestuous liaison between Hélène and Anatole Kuragin is “crucial” to his adaptation of War and Peace.

Dickens star Tuppence Middleton and Glue’s Callum Turner play the siblings who are seen in bed together in the new version of Leo Tolstoy’s famous novel.

Talking to the Radio Times about his writing process, the 79-year-old said: “I often say I just ‘copy out the best bits’.” However, Davies acknowledged it is not always apparent what the “best bits” may be.

“For instance, in War and Peace, brother and sister Hélène and Anatole are in an incestuous relationship, but Tolstoy indicates this so subtly that most readers, including me, at first reading, miss it altogether.

“This relationship, and their attitude to it, is so crucial to our understanding of them that for me, at least, it needs to be on screen.”

From tv.bt.com...

Dickensian star Tuppence Middleton and Glue’s Callum Turner play the siblings who are seen in bed together in the new version of Leo Tolstoy’s famous novel.

"As you can see in episode one, the brother and sister relationship was something I made more of," said Davies.

Check your local listings as it is supposed to start showing soon. If you watch, tell us what you think. Have you read the novel? What do you think?

We Get Letters About Lasting Consanguinamory and Past Relationships

Someone left an inspiring comment on this blog entry today. Anonymous wrote...

My sister and I are and have been in a consensual, incestuous relationship for over 40 years and we have been living as husband and wife for 32 years. We have 3 children, 2 daughters and a son. We are full blooded brother and sister, not half or step. Our kids turned out just fine, no handicaps, no diseases or anything like that at all. Our neighbors, people we work with, the kids teachers and the kids friends and there parents no nothing about relationship. To them we are just the regular neighbor/parents next door raising a family. 

Congratulations on your love, Anonymous!

We sure hope this person contacts us. We want to get in touch! Isn't is ridiculous that they can't legally marry yet???




Like any other relationships, although I've known GSA romances that have lasted until death, some end, or go through separations. A couple of comments were left today responding to myths about GSA, by someone who used to be in a GSA-initiated romance.

The first comment was left after this entry...

Philled Up

The Dr. Phil Show is one of those shows for which there is little benefit for someone looking to present the reality of polyamourous or polygamous or consanguinamorous relationships to participate. This show is not unique in these respects, but it is our example for today.

It's Dr. Phil's show (hence the name), and Dr. Phil, unless I've missing something (which is possible, because I rarely watch or read anything by him) professes monogamy as the ideal for all and probably is also biased again consanguinamory. The show runs on commercial television, which means it is advertiser-supported. The target audience has fears and biases against ethical nonmonogamy. Dr. Phil's staff controls the microphones, the editing, and everything else. It is highly unlikely someone in an ethically non-monogamous or consanguinamorous relationship is going to be allowed to portray their relationship as anything other than some sort of terrible mess or abusive. They're going to be expected to be lectured by Dr. Phil.

Whatever one thinks of Thom Miller of Mansfield, Ohio, a self-proclaimed polygamist who has been in the news lately, there was no way any polygamist was going to be portrayed well on this show. Dillon Carr reported at richlandsource.com...

Have a Look Around

Are you new to this blog? Maybe you've been here before, but have missed some of the features here.

Over there in the column on the right you can find ways to connect and to follow this blog.

There at the top of the page are tabs with drop-downs of some important pages, entries, and links.

There's a Welcome message and there's an About This Blog page, and you can read about the triad that originally inspired this blog.

There's a Glossary so that you can become familiar with terms frequently used here.

I explain why we need solidarity in supporting full marriage equality and I debunk all the arguments that you'll ever hear made against equality.

On the Case Studies page I feature interviews with people who have been denied their rights, so you can "meet" people who are, or have been, in consensual loving relationships who have are harmed by the lack of equality under the law.

Are you here because of polyamory or polygamy? Perhaps you're here because this blog covers Genetic Sexual Attraction or consanguinamory (consensual incest)? Do you need help?


Whether you're a family member or friend who is looking for more information, or a journalist, or are someone who is looking to help the cause, I hope you are helped by what is here.

This blog is a labor of love. There's no advertising and we don't accept monetary contributions. Want to help? Spread the word. Also, this blog DOES accept content submissions (fullmarriageequality at yahoo dot com), but makes no offer, implicit nor explicit, of compensation nor guarantees that it will be used.

A very kind person improved this blog's template. I hope you are liking the look. I still need to take care of a couple of things.

Tell me what you think!

Da Bears

Yet again, we see why Discredited Argument #5 is, well, discredited, when it comes to consanguinamory. From newscientist.com comes this report on polar bears...

Image information: Michio Hoshino/Minden Pictures/FLPA

A pedigree of 4449 polar bears in Canada uncovers the family secrets of six generations, including the first reported case of identical polar bear twins, six adoptions and one case of sibling incest.

Interesting.

Based on 45 years of field observations and genetic data, the family tree traces out the complicated histories of the Western Hudson Bay group of polar bears since 1966.

“To me, the presence of identical twins was the most surprising part,” says René Malenfant at the University of Alberta, Canada.

Not the incest.

The team also looked at how much inbreeding occurs amongst relatives. Across the entire family tree, they only identified one clear case of incest, between a pair of half-siblings. These had been born to the same mother in different years, but probably had different fathers.

“The rate of inbreeding is quite low, however it seems this is more likely because of lack of opportunity as opposed to active avoidance,” says Malenfant. Since polar bears disperse over large ranges, related bears are unlikely to encounter each other.

For more information...

Journal reference: bioArxiv, DOI: 10.1101/034009

Read more: “Polar bear penis bone may be weakened by pollution”

Da bears!

Equality Still Being Denied in US

There is a ways to go for full marriage equality in the US. It's going to happen, and we're helping to make it happen sooner rather than later. There is no good reason to deny people their rights. Equality applies to all or it isn't equality.

Kendra Hall/Arizona Sonora News reports an example of a same-gender couple still fighting for their rights.

Alray Nelson and his partner, Brennen Yonnie. Photo by Alray Nelson.

For Navajo tribal members, same-sex marriage is not legal although it is now legal in the United States.

“Once again, we were forgotten on a national level and the fight for marriage equality is not over,” said Alray Nelson, Navajo member and lead organizer for the Coalition for Navajo Equality. “It’s not ended. We’re still here fighting.”

Good for them!

In 2005, the Navajo Nation Council passed a law called the Diné Marriage Act. This law was enacted to specify marriage laws for Navajo members.

In section three, it states, “Marriage between persons of the same sex is void and prohibited.”

Legally a gay, Navajo couple could obtain a marriage license in the state of Arizona, but this couple would not be able to receive Navajo employee benefits, receive home site-leases and according to the Coalition for Navajo Equality a same-sex couple may not be allowed adopt a Native American child.

That's terrible.

The Cherokee tribe also banned same-sex marriage, defining marriage specifically between a man and a woman. According to Nelson, only 12 out of 566 tribes provide protections for same-sex marriage couples.

This needs to change, and it will. It's awful that people who've been subjected to so much bigotry would keep perpetuating bigotry.

Meanwhile, in Montana, a judge apparently didn't get the memo the Supreme Court sent. Here's a report at khq.com about the polygamous freedom to marry still being denied.

A federal magistrate judge has ruled against a polygamous trio in Billings seeking to strike down Montana's bigamy laws.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby ruled Monday that Nathan, Victoria and Christine Collier must show that the laws have harmed them, or that they have been threatened with prosecution, before they can file a lawsuit.

Ostby's ruling is not the final say. Her findings and recommendations can be upheld or rejected by U.S. District Judge Susan Watters.

So the door is still open there.

Austrian Consanguinamorous Couple Talks With Media

It can be very, very difficult for journalists to get consanguineous lovers to share about their relationship and life together. Due to continuing bigotry, often expressed in senseless criminalization, people enjoying a consanguinamorous relationship often shy away from media out of self-preservation.

Jennifer Tillmann at vice.com managed to get a couple to talk with her, as long as their identities were protected. One of them describes the hate hurled their way...

Tom's profile picture shows him and his girlfriend, Lena. She hugs him from behind, lovingly kissing him on the neck. He is smiling, twining his fingers in her long, brown hair. Strictly speaking, nothing is wrong with this photo. It shows two people who love each other—a relationship based on mutual attraction. 

But Lena is Tom's sister, and for most people this changes everything; the photograph actually becomes criminal evidence. "I'm scared of people finding me disgusting," says Tom. He looks away from me and claws at his fingers. He's been in a committed relationship with his sister for 20 years, and the couple has a child together. "There's nothing that I haven't heard before. People have called me a desecrator, sister-f---er, or simply retarded. And all that's come out of the mouths of people who were at one time my friends. Even if society won't recognize us, we exist and there are more of us than you think."

There sure are.

Again With the Folgers Advertisement

UPDATE FOR 2015: Here's a comedy video that extends the ad. Friends of Lily are laughing.]

*****
Now is as good of a time as any other to go through this year's criticism of a Folgers Coffee Christmas-themed television advertisement. I've blogged about this ad and reaction to it before, here and here. [This is bumped up from 2012 because the ad is getting talked about again.]

In a nutshell, the ad depicts a brother arriving home after being being away out of the country, and his sister is happy to see him. Some viewers see undertones of incest, because, you know, siblings are supposed to hate each other and fight like cats and dogs all of the time. Since they see undertones of incest, many of them take the opportunity to remind us that they think consensual incest (consanguinamory) between siblings is icky.

There's some language the FCC wouldn't allow on American broadcast radio, just to warn you.

Human Rights Day

It's Human Rights Day... at least, it still is where I am.

Surely, the right to love each other, live with each other, and marry each other, if we want, is a basic human right. After all, if we don't have the right to love each other, what rights do we really have?

Wherever we live, whatever our gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion, we consenting adults should all be free to enjoy our bodies and each other as we mutually agree, without fear of prosecution, bullying, or discrimination.

Full marriage equality is a basic human right.

Chick on the Wrong

Somehow I missed this bit from chicksontheright.com [WARNING: Hate at that link.] when I was picking apart the bigot backlash earlier in regards to a couple brought to together through Genetic Sexual Attraction who dared to be profiled in a publication. So, thanks to my friend for bringing this to my attention.

Someone posting under Red Dawn slyly invoked pedophilia at least twice, which I take as a deliberate attempt to bring in an unrelated issue to poison people against consenting adults who aren't hurting anyone.

Chris gave Melissa a bunch of contact information so she could reach out to her other siblings, including her brother, Brian. (This is where this entire story gets really gross.)

We get it. You are grossed out by the idea. Many people who've experienced GSA for themselves through the same way before they experienced it. Funny, but this piece doesn't use the term "Genetic Attraction" or "Genetic Sexual Attraction" anywhere. That's a glaring omission.

Nowhere does the writer explain exactly what's wrong with consenting adults being together. She's simply playing to the prejudices of the readers, and you can see in the comments that the bigots did step right up to do their part. I dealt with the same things in our previous coverage here, so rather than repeat myself again bit by bit, I'll include the comment I left...

I like how you slipped in references to pedophilia to distract from the fact that these people were approaching middle age when they first realized they even had a "lost" genetic sibling. In other words, they were consenting adults. Genetic Sexual Attraction is a real thing and it happens to people who are not married and were never abused as well. I guarantee some of your readers have experienced it, and some have acted it. It happens even to the most conservative people. You may not like it, but your dislike should have no power over the sex lives of consenting adults.

Facebook and Twitter and More

Have you joined the Facebook group yet? Join "I Support Full Marriage Equality."

You should also like this page, Full Marriage Equality, and we meant that.

Are we Facebook friends? I want to be friends with all who support full marriage equality and relationship rights for all adults. Here I am.

Are we connected on Twitter? Here I am.

Are we connected on Tumblr? Here I am.

If you don't want to connect, still feel free to send me a note. I can be reached at fullmarriageequality at yahoo dot com

The Pain in Spain Repeated Refrain

There's been much interest around the planet about the couple in Spain who've had their infant (temporarily, hopefully) taken away. We wrote about this previously here.


Here's a few examples of the coverage, and below that, we'll analyze opinion about this.

Will Grice has coverage at independent.co.uk.


Kate Storey has the coverage at cosmopolitan.com.

Here's coverage at motherhoodinstyle.net.

Rebecca Koerber has the coverage at huffingtonpost.com.au.

Sophie Tighe has the coverage at thesun.co.uk.

Now we get into the blatant opinions. Elizabeth Licata had coverage at mommyish.com under the headline "Incestuous Father-Daughter Couple Fights for Return of Their Baby, Which They Probably Should Not Get."

The heart wants what the heart wants, and when it comes to relationships there is a fine gray line between “legal” and “awful,” but this case of a couple from Spain who are fighting the courts for the return of their new baby is nowhere near that line, because the couple are a father and his teenage daughter, and everything about this case is positively stomach-churning in its horribleness.

That's not a reason. It begs the question.

The Pain in Spain

A situation out of Mallorca, Spain is getting international attention as there appears to be an unnecessary removing of a child from her mother.

The most important line in the article by Fiona Govan at thelocal.es is the opening line...

Incest is not against the law in Spain as long as it is carried out between consenting adults, but a father and daughter are appealing after a judge awarded temporary custody of their child to the state pending a full investigation.

Spain is one of the better countries in the world for consanguineous lovers, usually.

The 36-year-old man insists he is in a "unique and loving relationship" with his 18-year-old daughter Sara and that they should be allowed to keep his newborn baby girl - who is also his granddaughter.

The man, who has given his name as Cris, told the local newspaper Cronica Balear that his ex-wife (and mother of Sara) had reported him for abuse because she was jealous of the relationship.

That is not unusual, unfortunately. Friends and family of the consanguinamorous should have compassion instead of being rats.