The Liberal government used taxpayer funds to pay for a research study that promoted exposing kids to “polyamory” as being healthy and positive for children’s development.
On Aug. 7, Quebec researchers published an article on “Children’s views on the romantic partners of their polyamorous parents” in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
The research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, a federal grant-giving body that distributes taxpayer funds to academics.
SSHRC communications advisor Nicole Swiaterk confirmed to True North taxpayers paid $70,662 between 2019 and 2021 for the study. Funds were awarded via the Insight Development Grants competition.
Researchers interviewed 18 children between the ages of 5 and 16 years old. Three of the children in the cohort lived in households with their parents’ multiple sexual partners. Nine of the ten households interviewed included adults who identified as LGBTQ+.
“We found that the participating children generally appreciate their parents’ romantic partners,” researchers concluded.
According to the study, polyamory or “consensual non-monogamy” is described as sexual relationships involving more than one partner at a time.
“According to (polyamory)-practicing parents, exposing their children to (polyamory) teaches them to develop healthy, positive and respectful interpersonal relationships based on honest communication and transparency,” the study reads.
“As previously mentioned, most participating children mentioned more than one romantic partners in their lives.”
According to researchers, children with polyamorous parents believe their parents’ multiple partners were adults “to have fun with,” “who contributed to their material well-being,” “took care of them” or “expanded their circle of friends.”
“For example, 9-year-old Ayden said he was able to create a special bond with one of his mother’s romantic partners, because he introduced him to a new hobby, which he now enjoyed doing with him: ‘One of the things that’s cool about him is that he’s the one who showed me how to do magic.’,” wrote researchers.
One of the reasons cited as a benefit included that polyamorous partners gave kids “access to various material resources” like access to pools and gifts.
“Romantic partners were described by the children as contributing to their material comfort, by buying them things or sharing their possessions with them,” wrote researchers.
“For instance, 12-year-old Margo felt closer to her mother’s girlfriend than to her mother’s boyfriend. According to her, the fact that her mother’s girlfriend was younger than her mother’s boyfriend, and the fact that she was of the same gender as her meant that the two of them quickly found things in common,” the study reads.
In conclusion, the researchers claimed that children “benefit from their (parent’s) multi-partner relationship model” because every partner brings “skills, qualities and knowledge” to the table.
“Ultimately, the presence of several loving and caring adults in the lives of their children is perceived by polyamorous parents as beneficial for the emotional, social and intellectual development of their children,” wrote researchers.
