‘How does that work?’: Jake puzzles over Seattle’s new polyamory protections

Seattle just became the largest city in the country to extend civil rights protections to people in non-monogamous relationships or practicing polyamory, and KIRO host Jake Skorheim said his first thought wasn’t about the bedroom. It was about the insurance paperwork.

“If you’re in a relationship with four different people, is the business that hires you required to provide insurance for three additional partners?” Jake asked on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Are you just picking whoever your favorite lover is that month to get the insurance coverage? How does that work?”

The Seattle City Council voted Tuesday unanimously to pass the ordinance, sponsored by Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, which extends protections against discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations to people in consensually non-monogamous relationships.

The law also recognizes pansexuality and asexuality as protected sexual orientations and will take effect June 1, 2027. Seattle is the 10th city in the U.S. to pass such protections, according to The Guardian.

Jake tries to understand how polyamory works

KIRO fill-in host Greg Tomlin started with the basics, defining polyamory as being engaged in multiple committed romantic relationships simultaneously. Jake was immediately confused.

“What you’re describing is dating, like when you’re young, and you’re seeing a lot of people before you zero in on the one,” Jake said.

Greg clarified: “You’re not playing the field. It’s in more of a permanent status.”

Jake followed up by questioning if there is a cap.

“Sky’s the limit, I think,” Greg said. “However many you can handle.”

“The number is never what ends it,” Jake said. “It’s jealousy.”

‘Nobody should be harassed’

Jake was clear that he supports protections against workplace harassment and discrimination. The ordinance shields people from being fired, harassed, or denied housing based on their relationship structure. It does not require employers’ group health plans to cover additional domestic partners, a distinction he said matters.

Rinck, the bill’s sponsor, said the legislation reflects “how people actually live,” citing an estimated 5% of North Americans currently in consensual non-monogamous relationships and up to 20% reporting having been in one at some point, according to a report from the council.

“I don’t know a ton of people who are in polyamorous relationships … or any,” Jake said. “This has not been my experience. Have you, Greg, known a lot of people?”

“I have not,” Greg said.

Greg sees a broader cultural shift

Greg raised what he sees as a broader cultural shift: a push to treat sexuality as an immutable characteristic on par with race or gender, rather than a behavioral choice.

“I almost feel like there’s a push to further recognize that sexuality is not a choice. It’s so intrinsic to your identity that we need to include it more and more in our conversation about protected classes,” Greg said. “It’s not just a behavior thing; it’s who you are.”

Jake said Seattle’s vote lends weight to that interpretation, but from an employer’s standpoint, the practical questions are real.

“I would find it from an employer standpoint kind of confusing,” Jake said. “Complicated. I would say it’s complicated.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3