An Admission

I am human. I have topics that are red flags for me. Things that instantly offend me. Things I find it very hard to close my eyes to.

One of those things is the perception of Polyamory. I find it instantly offensive to characterize any person's lifestyle as merely a game, and it is hurtful to see someone caricature it in such a manner. This is what led to my conflict last September with a member of the Twitter community about something he characterized as a game.

This is why I was deeply offended when I found out that the same person, at the urging of several other members of the Twitter community had restarted the game. If they did not know it would offend me, it is certain that the person who had posted it before was cognizant that it would do so.

The reason this is so offensive is simply because this is not a lifestyle that is openly accepted. It is a lifestyle, that if I was outed, could lead to ostracism of my family in the offline world. For several years, I have lived a lie, for the sake of my family. So it is a very serious thing to me.

Forgive me if I view someone characterizing this as a game to be highly offensive. Forgive me if I feel hurt by not only the person who restarted the game, but the people who urged him to do so. I cannot believe that they were not aware of how insulting it is.

Forgive me that I am human enough to have a hard time ignoring it when it is on the timelines of several people I follow. I was told it was none of my business, but the game was shoved in my face last time.

It is disingenuous to say you respect someone's lifestyle and say you respect them as a person, and then deliberately do something you know will cause offense. This has damaged my opinion of all those involved.

So forgive me for being a human being.