This is painfully sad and pervertedly sick at the same time. New York magazine: “What It’s Like to Date Your Dad.” The story begins talking about biological relatives reunited after adoption and the sexual attraction that can occur (some research suggests that in half of all cases one of the relatives feels a Genetic Sexual Attraction or GSA). The bulk of the story is an interview with an 18-year-old bisexual girl who lost her virginity to her biological father and plans to marry him (but not register the union). I’m skeptical that such stories are true, but assuming its true the story tragic on several levels. It’s obvious that the girl has suffered psychological trauma in her life and that might be a factor in some of her terrible decisions. The father should have acted like an adult and its hard not to see him as a predator who is abusing his position or his daughter’s feelings of vulnerability, although she vehemently denies it.
Incestuous relationships will probably be the next area for the marriage equality movement, and indeed the Marriage Equality website highlights the issue, which is noteworthy because when I brought this up a decade ago I was labelled a fear-monger by several journalists who had interviewed me (one told me she was doing me a favour by not reporting what I said). Here’s what I wrote in the March 2005 Interim:
SSM could open the door to other legally sanctioned relationships
Those in favour of redefinition dismiss the notion that SSM will lead to legal recognition of other relationships, including polygamous and incestuous ones. Indeed, the National Post featured a front-page story on Jan. 20 that reported the federal government is studying the impact of polygamous relationships on women and children to prepare for anticipated challenges to laws that prevent individuals from having multiple spouses. While some suggest it is ludicrous to raise concerns about legal sanction for polygamous and incestuous relationships, according to American liberal journalist Michael Kingsley, the very idea of SSM was on the fringe just 15 years ago. Will polygamy and incest be beyond the pale in another decade – or less.
I still find the story of the 18-year-old girl sad, but in no way should that emotional tug pull society toward extending marriage rights to the, er, GSA community.
