Tale as Old as Time

This blog is about relationship rights for all adults, especially the right to marry any and all consenting adults. It is not about criticizing nor promoting any philosophy towards religion, spiritual considerations, superstitions, the paranormal or supernatural, any religious text or writings/traditions/beliefs/practices/systems/organizations considered sacred, inspired, of authoritative by some, nor skepticism when it comes to such things.

There are both allies and opponents of relationship rights and full marriage equality in just about every religion and among those who claim no religion, and I welcome allies no matter what tradition, if any, they prefer or reject.

With that out of the way…

Considering the Bible as literature, which anyone can do whether they are a devout Christian, a Deist, a Hindu, an Atheist, or an Antitheist or take some other path, one can see that the Bible implies, outright portrays, and further addresses consanguineous sex.

Frequently, someone will ask “Where did Cain get his wife?” or “Did Adam and Eve’s children have sex with each other?” or some variation. Whether someone considers this speculation about fanciful myths or actual history is irrelevant to analyzing what the text itself says.

Frequently Asked Question: Why Is Incest Illegal?

It shouldn’t be illegal anywhere, as you’ll see. As always, we note that we are talking about consensual incest (consanguinamory), such as between consenting adults, and between minors close in age. We are not talking about anything involving coercion or force or molestation. There are laws against rape, assault, and molestation, and they should remain. We are talking about consensual incest, consanguineous sex and marriage, and consanguinamory, whether initiated through Genetic Sexual Attraction or not.

Short answer: It isn’t illegal everywhere, but where it is, it is the lingering result of sex-police holdovers, superstition, prejudice, and legislative inertia.

Long answer:

Raksha Bandhan

One of my readers called my attention to Raksha Bandhan. 

According to the current Wikipedia entry as of this posting, it...

is a popular and traditionally Hindu annual rite or ceremony that is central to a festival of the same name celebrated in South Asia. It is also celebrated in other parts of the world significantly influenced by Hindu culture. On this day, sisters of all ages tie a talisman or amulet called the Rakhi around the wrists of their brothers. They symbolically protect them, receive a gift in return, and traditionally invest the brothers with a share of the responsibility of their potential care.

Raksha Bandhan is observed on the last day of the Hindu lunar calendar month of Shraavana, which typically falls in August. The expression "Raksha Bandhan" (Sanskrit, literally, "the bond of protection, obligation, or care,") is now principally applied to this ritual. Until the mid-20th century, the expression was more commonly applied to a similar ritual, also held on the same day, with precedence in ancient Hindu texts. In that ritual, a domestic priest ties amulets, charms, or threads on the wrists of his patrons, or changes their sacred thread, and receives gifts of money. This is still the case in some places. By contrast, the sister-brother festival, with origins in folk culture, had names which varied with location. Some were rendered as Saluno, Silono, and Rakri. A ritual associated with Saluno included the sisters placing shoots of barley behind the ears of their brothers.

Of special significance to married women, Raksha Bandhan is rooted in the practice of territorial or village exogamy. The bride marries out of her natal village or town, and her parents by custom do not visit her in her married home. In rural north India, where village exogamy is strongly prevalent, large numbers of married Hindu women travel back to their parents' homes every year for the ceremony. Their brothers, who typically live with their parents or nearby, sometimes travel to their sisters' married home to escort them back. Many younger married women arrive a few weeks earlier at their natal homes and stay until the ceremony. The brothers serve as lifelong intermediaries between their sisters' married and parental homes, as well as potential stewards of their security.

What do you think? 

NOT a Good Reason to Deny Love #4

“My religion is against it.” If you don’t want an (adult) intergenerational, interracial, same-gender, polygamous, or consanguineous relationship or marriage, then don’t have one. But we should all have the freedoms of religion and association and in places like the US, we have separation of church and state, so this can’t be a justification for denying marriage equality or other relationships rights.

There is no good reason to deny an adult, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race or religion, the right to share love, sex, residence, and marriage (or any of those without the others) with any and all consenting adults without prosecution, bullying, or discrimination.

Feel free to share, copy and paste, and otherwise distribute. This has been adapted from this page at Full Marriage Equality: http://marriage-equality.blogspot.com/p/discredited-invalid-arguments.html

Go to NOT a Good Reason to Deny Love #3

Go to NOT a Good Reason to Deny Love #5 

Guest Post: Ewen Owen on a Historical Reference to Consanguinamory

I'm happy to bring you a submission from a friend. Ewen Owen has provided the short essay below. He considers something Christian philosopher Tomas Aquinas wrote about. If you don't care what Aquinas or any other religious philosopher wrote about, especially hundreds of years ago, it is easy to skip over this entry. But if you want to consider thoughts that still influence people today, you might want to read this.

If you're interested in submitting something relevant for this blog, write to me at fullmarriagequality at protonmail dot com and we can discuss it.
 

*****

For those who have never heard of him, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was one of the most influential philosophers of the Christian religion, ever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas . He left us with buried gem. From his masterwork Summa Theologiae, question 154, Article 9, “Whether incest is a determinate species of lust?” (In other words, whether it’s necessarily a sin, even if it’s between consenting adults.) 

How Marriage Equality Supports Family Values and Morality

There are people who constantly make a point of telling us their beliefs that marriage is important for our countries, that being married is good for adults and for children, that commitment is good, that unmarried sex is bad, unmarried cohabitation is bad, that being a single mother is bad, and that marriage is needed to “channel male sexuality.” They cite with worry the fact that there are fewer married households now and more children being raised outside of a home headed by married parents. These are what they say “family values” and “morality” are about. Everyone should get married and only have sex and raise children in marriage and should go to church every week and enjoy “freedom of religion.”


Let’s consider some facts, at least how the stand in the US (your country may vary.)…

Civil Unions AND Marriage Should Be For All Who Want Them

A friend called my attention to an article from this past October on comments from San Francisco's Archbishop relating to statements from the Pope. From newsweek.com... 

Salvatore Cordileone, the archbishop of San Francisco, responded to Pope Francis' historic endorsement of same-sex civil unions by saying such unions should be "as inclusive as possible," and extended to unmarried brothers and sisters who support each other.

Sure, offer civil unions and marriage - for any and all consenting adults.

Cordileone said civil unions which mutually benefit two people should not be limited to those in a same-sex relationship, and brothers and sisters in partnerships should be allowed the same rights.

It shouldn't be restricted at all, by number, gender, race, sexual orientation, or relation.

Cordileone added that marriage "is unique because it is the only institution that connects children to their mothers and fathers, and therefore is presumed to be a sexual relationship.

Church officials can have their views. In the US, they don't determine law. Whether or not people are having sex is not the law's business.

Keep it very simple. It's not the government's business to know which adults are having sex with each other, or are together without having sex, or if they engage in BDSM or any kink, or not, or have an open or closed relationship, or not. None of that should matter. Civil unions, domestic partnerships, and marriages should be available to all consenting adults who want them, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. An adult should be free to enter into these relationships with any and all consenting adults. 

Guest Blog Post: Love One Another

We do accept submissions to this blog, at our sole discretion. The submission below comes from U.N. Owen. 

This blog welcomes connection with all allies and anyone who been in a "taboo" relationship or has faced discrimination because of who they are and the love they have with others, regardless of how they identify when it comes to religion or faith tradition. Atheist? You're welcome. Wiccan? You're welcome. Christian? Jew? Muslim? Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jain... I can't list everyone, but you're all welcome here and welcome to reach out if you're seeking support or want to give support, support rights, or want to share your experiences.

Whatever anyone thinks of the Bible, it has clearly influenced many, and is claimed as an authority by some who are in opposition to the purposes of this blog. Some people have used it to hurt. But what does it actually say? If you don’t care, skip over this entry. This isn’t an invitation to express your complaints about the Bible. This blog, meaning the entire Full Marriage Equality blog, is here for people regardless of what they think of the Bible or any religion. Because some people cite the Bible as an authority, entries like this are important. There are people who need to read this because they try to live by the Bible or they are dealing with someone who is using the Bible against them. If that’s not you, this entry isn’t for you. Skip over it. This is for a target audience.

That's why our friend offers his thoughts below.



*****

I’ve carefully studied the question of whether the Bible forbids full marriage equality, and specifically consanguinamory. My conclusion is that the words of Christ do not condone all incest, but neither do they condemn consensual relationships between adult relatives, or indeed any other consensual love between adults.

Will Utah Become Less Hateful?

Utah, like every US state, needs relationship rights and full marriage equality for all adults. Unfortunately, Utah has been one of the worst of the states, going so far as to criminalize polyfidelity.

Change might be on the way, however. From thehill.com...

A bill that would effectively decriminalize polygamy among consenting adults in Utah was unanimously endorsed by a state Senate committee this week, sending the legislation to the full chamber for a vote, The Salt Lake City Tribune reported. 

The Utah Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee pushed the bill through after hearing testimony from those who said current state law labels law-abiding citizens as criminals.

Let adults have the relationships to which they mutually agree.

The Simple Test

Ginny pondered “slippery slope” concepts, and explained why having the same-gender freedom to marry and the polyamorous or polygamous freedom to marry does not justify things like marrying children.

Consent is the watchword of modern sexual ethics. It’s the difference between BDSM and abuse. It’s the difference between polyamory and cheating. It’s the difference between rape and… sex. Anything two (or more) able, informed adults give consent to in private is generally considered okay.

It’s simple enough, but some people want to make it more complicated than that.

“That’s not natural” really just means “That makes me uncomfortable.” And I hope we can all agree that an individual’s sense of comfort or discomfort makes for a really lousy moral guide.

Besides, good arguments can be made that polygamy is natural. Discomfort is definitely not a good guide for law or morality. Heart surgery is uncomfortable and looks disgusting to many people, but it can be a very good thing. Sticking up for civil rights can bring a whole lot of discomfort, but it is the right thing to do.

Someone might say, “But that goes against my religious code!” Fine, then don’t do that, and encourage your religious brethren not to do it either. But that has nothing to do with whether a thing should be legal or acceptable in the culture outside your religion.

Couldn’t have written a better answer to Discredited Argument #4 myself.

We hold very highly the rights of heterosexual people to live, love, and create families as they see fit. In time, I hope that consenting adults of any number and gender are given the same level of respect.

We've made some progress. Let’s make it happen!

Canada Should Let All Consenting Adults Marry if They Want To

Polygamy as a criminal matter is back on the news in Canada, and as a result, someone identified as Lee Harding of Coquitlam wrote a letter printed at vancouversun.com...

The idea that something that is otherwise immoral or even illegal in Canada becomes somehow acceptable if someone claims it as a religious tenet is ridiculous.

Consenting adults should be free to be together however they mutually agree. I'm sure most Canadians, if polled on that without inflammatory phrasing, would agree.

Something is immoral if it violates human rights.

Consenting adults loving each other hardly does that.

This includes forcing or coercing children into life-altering situations, such as early marriage; even worse, into polygamy.

Ahhhh... yes, well child abuse a completely different matter than consenting adults being together. Guilt by association is not fair.

True Religious Freedom Supports Full Marriage Equality

Jay Bookman at jaybookman.blog.ajc.com points out, given the controversy over recent "religious freedom" laws being passed in US states, that true religious freedom supports full marriage equality.

Under the First Amendment, government can’t pass laws that are intended to restrict religious liberty. Such laws are not at stake in this discussion. However, state and local laws that accidentally impinge on religious liberty — zoning laws, health and safety laws, etc., criminal statutes, laws against polygamy — have been allowed as long as those laws at least have a rational basis.

Under SB 129, however, a mere “rational basis” would no longer be sufficient. Laws that impinge accidentally on religious liberty would be allowed ONLY when those laws advance a “compelling governmental interest.”

Bookman points out the history of denying the polygamous freedom to marry.

Peter Nash Swisher, a national expert in family law and a professor at the University of Richmond Law School, has looked at the issue and is very dubious about whether such a compelling interest can be found. With recent Supreme Court decisions combined with state and federal RFRAs, ” … proponents of polygamous marriage now have, in my opinion, a very strong case for validating polygamous marriages on cultural, religious, and constitutional grounds.

As Swisher notes, the Old Testament is full of instances of polygamy, and the Muslim faith allows a man to have as many as four wives. Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, “observed that polygamy does not contradict Scripture, and so cannot be prohibited by Christianity.”

There are ordained ministers ready and eager to perform same-gender weddings, polyamorous weddings, polygamous weddings, and consanguinamorous weddings. If a state truly wants to support religious freedom, it will support full marriage equality.

Technicality Leaves Discriminatory Utah Law Intact For Now

Since the Browns of "Sister Wives" haven't yet been prosecuted under Utah's ridiculous law against polyfidelity (they fled to Nevada), the US Supreme Court isn't taking up their case. Here's the report from Nate Carlisle at sltrib.com...

(Jerry Henkel | The Associated Press) Kody Brown sits with his wives in July at one of their homes in Las Vegas. They are the polygamist family featured on TLC’s "Sister Wives" program. Pictured are: top row, Janelle, left, and Christine; bottom row, Meri, left, Kody and Robyn.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear arguments from the husband and four wives who star in the television show “Sister Wives,” letting stand a lower court ruling that kept polygamy a crime in Utah.

The law needs to go, sooner rather than later. Until it is gone, people need to protect themselves, as ethical nonmonogamists should do anywhere.

Another Round of Polygamy Bashing

A trial of some people from Bountiful, B.C., Canada brings with it attaching negative associations to the word "polygamy" even though the actual problem is not voluntary relationships between consenting adults.

For example, there's this report by Daphne Bramham at vancouversun.com that is headlined "Evidence all in at trial of B.C. polygamous parents charged with trafficking their daughters." Why are the parents identified as "polygamous?" In how many articles do you ever see people on trial identified as "monogamous?" The problem here is alleged child abuse, not polygamy between consenting adults.

The trial of three parents from the polygamous community of Bountiful, B.C. charged with trafficking their 13- and 15-year-old daughters to U.S. for sexual purposes wraps up next week with final arguments.

"Polygamous community." Are there "monogamous communities?" We weren't aware towns married. Are sister cities allowed to marry?

That there are polygynous adult marriages is not nearly as important to what is going on as the fact that these people belong to a certain small religious group with an authoritarian leader who orchestrated the events in question, and the real issue is the abuse of children. Would it be any less of a problem if the minor girls were each being "married" off to a different older man rather than multiple girls to one man?

The headline to Bramham's article at montrealgazette.com was a little better, but "Obedience to prophet paramount in polygamous community, trial told" still calls it a "polygamous community." This is exactly why so many people who want ethically nonmonogamous marriages avoid using the term polygamy, even though that's the term for a marriage or marriages involving more than two people.

It is important not to lump ethically nonmonogamous people in with child abuse. We advocate for the rights of all consenting adults to their relationships, including polygamy, if that's what they want. We oppose child abuse and maintain that full marriage equality for all will actually help fight child abuse.

Happy Halloween!

Is it true what I've heard, that outside the US Halloween is no big deal? Halloween is October 31 and it is celebrated widely and diversely here in the US.

Do you have any special plans for Halloween? Have you do anything fun or interesting this year at a Halloween party or event?

Here in the states, the stores depend on Halloween to sell a lot of merchandise. There are parties, costume contests, what amounts to theatre in front of (and inside, sometimes) the homes of people as they try to scare or entertain neighbors and strangers with things ranging from silly to sexy, spooky to gory. In some places, kids (and often parents) in costumes go from door to door collecting candy or other treats.

Many amusement parks, ranging from small to the largest, do special entertainment in the weeks leading up to Halloween, and this is a favorite time of the year for movie studios to release horror movies, and for broadcasters to show ones from years past.

For some, there are religious or spiritual aspects to the day, and it might be called by other names.

Some interesting things can happen when people are having fun at costume parties, or cuddled up together watching scary movies.

So, as always, feel free to comment or share your stories.

A Few Reactions in Kenya to Court Ruling

We recently noted that a judge in Kenya pointed out that Kenya does not have laws criminalizing sex between cousins. To follow up on that news, Ruth Nyambura at allafrica.com collected opinions against the court finding from people who aren't lawyers, judges, or legislators. Seems legit.

First up to say the judge, who made a legally (and ethically) connect ruling, got it wrong is a chaplain...

Daystar University's Chaplain Jeremiah Obura said a lot of what is happening is out of influence from the western culture where they do all sorts of weird things and people copy for the sake of it.

Right. Uhm, western culture didn't invent sex between first cousins. It's been going on for all of human history.

He quoted the Bible the book of Leviticus Chapter 18 verse six which states: "No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations, I am the Lord. There is no debate on this issue. Based on the scriptures it is not right and it rules out."

1. I was unaware that present-day Kenya is ancient Israel, subject to the laws of ancient Israel. If so, well, there's a whole lot of other laws I'm sure Obura is breaking.

2. In those laws for ancient Israel, prohibitions on cousins getting together are NOT THERE. If this guy bothers to read his Bible, he knows that.

3. The Bible, subsequent to this passage, depicts marriages between cousins in a positive light.

4. Kenya shouldn't be a theocracy.

Escaping a Broadbrush

It is irksome to see the title "Escaping Polygamy." I know many people who could say they escaped monogamy, escaped marriage, etc. Abusers are someone to escape. A relationship construct is only something to be escaped for someone who isn't suited for it. For example, if you're polyamorous, it can be rather painful to be coerced into a monogamous relationship with no hope of polyamory.

With that in mind, here's a report from Ryan Gajewski at usmagazine.com with the headline "Escaping Polygamy's Lorie: Sharing My Husband With My Sister Is Like a 'Bad Dream."

A polygynous man taking sisters as wives is not all that unusual. However, I can understand that if someone really doesn't want to be in a polygynous marriage, or doesn't want to be in one with her sister, that it could be a terrible way to live. Nobody should be pressured into a relationship they don't want. Part of having full marriage equality and relationship rights for all is allowing people to be themselves. This will allow people to have the relationships they want, including not having a legal, romantic, or sexual relationship at all.

The wrong kind of sisterly bond. Escaping Polygamy's Lorie opens up about the pain of sharing her husband with a blood relative in the Sunday, August 21, episode, as seen in Us Weekly's exclusive sneak peek.

The wrong kind of sisterly bond for her. For other women, sharing a partner with their sibling is something to which they aspire.

The A&E unscripted series' preview clip shows Lorie telling the camera that she has 10 children with husband Verl, who she married when she was 17. Verl was already married to Lorie's older sister, and the two of them have 15 kids together. (Verl also has six kids with a third wife, who is his half-sister.)

How did that not make the headlines? He's in a consanguineous marriage. Of course it wouldn't be a legal marriage anyway, since he has a legal wife and the law still only allows one, but not only is polyfidelity criminal in Utah, so is having sex with your half-sibling. I'm not defending Verl specifically, but consensual adult relationships shouldn't be criminalized.

They all belong to the polygamist Salt Lake City–based Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Is the problem here really polygamy, or rather something about the FLDS? Consider what the article says next...

'Escaping Polygamy' Star Lorie

"My mom walked out of our life when I was 9, and [my sister] took the role of a mother, and she really felt strongly that I needed to be a part of her family," Lorie explains. "She would tell me that she felt like if I didn't do this, then I would lose my eternal salvation."

So tell me how this would relate to the polygamous freedom to marry under a system of gender equality in which people are truly free to not marry and to marry the person or people they want to marry?

Do You Support Freedom of Religion?

If freedom of religion means anything, it must mean that someone can practice their religion (and practice no religion) in their own private life, as long as the aren't harming anyone else. So it seems reasonable that clergy should be free to conduct religious ceremonies that don't hurt anyone. This is not just a mental exercise. This is a real life issue.


Gus Burns reports at mlive.com...

Photo provided by Neil Patrick Carrick

A lesbian Michigan couple's lawsuit helped legalize gay marriage nationwide in June. But another lawsuit filed by Detroit Pastor Neil Patrick Carrick in January naming Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette aimed to loosen state marriage laws even further in the private and religious realm.

Carrick argues private ceremonies solemnizing marriages before God -- even in cases of polygamous marriage -- which are not recognized legally, should not be interfered with by the government.

Of course they shouldn't.

Currently Michigan law defines marriage as a civil contract. Anyone performing a ceremony to "solemnize" a marriage must require the presentation of a marriage certificate before doing so, or they may be fined up to $100.
Additionally under current law, any clergy or magistrate who knowingly performs a marriage not recognized under state law can be fined up to $500.

Do you understand? In Michigan, it is illegal to perform a ceremony without approval of the state. How is that not a violation of the First Amendment on religious freedom and free speech?

Utah Still Defends Criminalizing Polyfidelity

Utah leaders are sill defending their criminalization of polyfidelity, a particularly egregious violation of the freedom of association of consenting adults. Here's an Associated Press article from abcnews.go.com by Lindsay Whitehurst...

Utah state attorneys defending the state's anti-polygamy law argue it should stay on the books because it protects women and children from abuse.

Really? Are women and children more protected in Utah than every other state?

The Utah Attorney General is appealing a ruling striking down key provisions of the law in the case of Kody Brown and his four wives, stars of the reality TV show "Sister Wives." The state says in newly filed court documents that monogamous marriage is an important social unit and court rulings dating back to 1878 have upheld laws against polygamy.

"The United States Constitution does not protect the practice of polygamy as a fundamental right," state attorney Parker Douglas wrote.

We will see about that. Criminalization of consensual adult relationships has been struck down by the Supreme Court in case after case.

Brown family attorney Jonathan Turley countered Monday that the state's evidence of widespread abuse in polygamous communities is scant and the Browns show such unions can be healthy.

"As with monogamous families, the state has ample laws to prosecute individuals for abuse or other crimes," Turley said in an email to The Associated Press.

Exactly. Domestic violence and child abuse are criminal under other laws. Decriminalizing polyfidelity will actually make it easier to prosecute abuse.

The state is requesting oral argument in the case and Turley is preparing his response. He has said the family is prepared to take the legal fight to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

I would love for the Court to take care of the issue this month in ruling on other cases.

Utah is appealing a 2013 ruling that struck down key provisions of the state's anti-polygamy law.

U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups decided that a provision of the state law forbidding cohabitation violated the polygamous Brown family's freedom of religion.

It also violated other basic rights adults have.

If the ruling stands, Utah's law would be like most other states that prohibit people from having multiple marriage licenses. In most polygamous families, the man is legally married to one woman but only "spiritually married" to the others.

They should all be free to legally marry. But until then, they shouldn't be denied their right to be together unmarried.

The teaching that polygamy brings exaltation in heaven is a legacy of the early Mormon church, but the mainstream Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abandoned the practice in 1890 and strictly prohibits it today.

Many other groups citing Mormon heritage support polygyny.

An adult, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, or religion should be free to share love, sex, residence, and marriage (or any of those without the others) with any and all consenting adults, without prosecution, bullying, or discrimination. That's full marriage equality.

Slow News Day in Ghana

Daniel Russell at pulse.com.gh reports...

A chief in Central Region of Ghana is said to have committed a incestuous act of sex with a mother and her daughter.

That is not incestuous. Not in the literal sense, anyway, as we'll see.

The chief in the Central Region is alleged to have had sex separately with a 55 -year old woman and her 37- year old daughter.

Why is this news?

Nana Wiredu III of Asiam is said to have admitted the offence but refused to perform rituals to pacify the gods for what is considered an abomination.

It's an offense? According to whom? Which religion are we talking about? And "admitted" probably isn't the right word. He's probably bragging.

As a result, the daughter, Ama Afull claims her business is collapsing and she wants the chief to perform the rites in order to save her.

Hmm. There are many businesses that have thrived even as their owners have all sorts of sex.

Her mother, identified as Auntie Akua wants the matter swept under the carpet in order to save the family from disgrace.

It seems a little late for that.

Ama Afful says her mother has even threatened to disown her if she goes public with the matter.

But speaking with Nhyira FM’s Naa Amerley, she claims she is being haunted by the situation is thus, left with no option but to go public to force the chief to do what is right.

Has it worked yet?

Someone having sex with one person and then later that person's parent or adult child happens more than people might think. It happens when someone has sex with their mother of father-in-law, their daughter or son-in-law, when someone has sex with their adult stepchild, and when a genetic parent has sex with their adult genetic child, whether it was a situation involving Genetic Sexual Attraction or not. Sometimes it is a matter of  cheating, as in a secret affair, which can get very ugly. Other times, it isn't cheating because there is an agreement involving polyamory or some other form of ethical nonmonogamy (perhaps even in the context of swinging), or there is no (longer) an agreement to sexual exclusivity with the first lover. And sometimes, it is together and not separately, and some of those situation involve the parent and adult child being affectionate directly with each other.

The variety is nearly endless. Usually, there isn't a correlation to negative business performance.