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'''Lafayette Morehouse''' is an intentional community conceived in 1968 in Lafayette, California.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Heller|first=Laurie Rivlin|date=2005|title=Basic Sense: The More Philosophy of Victor Baranco and the Institute of Human Abilities|url=http://www.communalstudies.org/communal-societies-vol-25-2005|journal=Communal Societies|volume=25|pages=29|via=Communal Studies}}</ref> The lifestyle it practices is often referred to as “Morehouse.”<ref name=":5">Hermanson, Carol Ann (Freya). Lifestyles, Sexuality and Relationships: An Ethnographic Study of the Lafayette Morehouse Community. UMI Company (1998). UMI Microform 9909450. California Institute of Integral Studies</ref> Inspired by its founder Dr. Victor Baranco and his first wife Dr. Suzanne Baranco, and now by his widow Dr. Cynthia Baranco,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/about.html|title=Welcome to Lafayette Morehouse|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref> Morehouse has been a continuous experiment in group living for nearly 50 years, one of few intentional communities still existing from the 1960s.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/faq.html#who|title=Who are you?|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref>
'''Lafayette Morehouse''' is an intentional community conceived in 1968 in Lafayette, California.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Heller|first=Laurie Rivlin|date=2005|title=Basic Sense: The More Philosophy of Victor Baranco and the Institute of Human Abilities|url=http://www.communalstudies.org/communal-societies-vol-25-2005|journal=Communal Societies|volume=25|pages=29|via=Communal Studies}}</ref> The lifestyle it practices is often referred to as “Morehouse.”<ref name=":5">Hermanson, Carol Ann (Freya). Lifestyles, Sexuality and Relationships: An Ethnographic Study of the Lafayette Morehouse Community. UMI Company (1998). UMI Microform 9909450. California Institute of Integral Studies</ref> Inspired by its founder Dr. Victor Baranco and his first wife Dr. Suzanne Baranco, and now by his widow Dr. Cynthia Baranco,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/about.html|title=Welcome to Lafayette Morehouse|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref> Morehouse has been a continuous experiment in group living for nearly 50 years, one of few intentional communities still existing from the 1960s.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/faq.html#who|title=Who are you?|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref>


Residents of Lafayette Morehouse consider themselves to be social researchers studying the nature of pleasurable group living.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thinkactget.com/podcast/27-sex/|title=27 - Sex|last=Shramko, James and Firestone, Ezra|first=|date=August 13, 2013|website=Think, Act, Get|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=31 May 2018}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=|first=|date=Spring 2010|title=Morehouse - Choosing Your Family|url=|journal=Communities Magazine|volume=146|pages=35|via=}}</ref> They believe that group living best fits the nature of humans and can lead to the most enjoyable life.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/user-345297116/loveonlineradio-1209|title=LoveOnlineRadio - 1209|last=Banks|first=Laura|date=|website=http://www.laurabanks.com/love-online-radio/|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref> Victor Baranco recognized that to sustain a cohesive group it was imperative to handle communication, sensuality and decision-making. Those areas became among their topics of research.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48109806|title=Extended massive orgasm : how you can give and receive intense sexual pleasure|last=Steve.|first=Bodansky,|date=2000|publisher=Vermilion|others=Bodansky, Vera.|isbn=0091857430|location=London|oclc=48109806}}</ref> The group’s findings are presented to the public in the form of courses, and the group receives no outside funding that could bias its findings.<ref name=":0" />
Residents of Lafayette Morehouse consider themselves to be social researchers studying the nature of pleasurable group living.<ref name=":20">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thinkactget.com/podcast/27-sex/|title=27 - Sex|last=Shramko, James and Firestone, Ezra|first=|date=August 13, 2013|website=Think, Act, Get|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=31 May 2018}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=|first=|date=Spring 2010|title=Morehouse - Choosing Your Family|url=|journal=Communities Magazine|volume=146|pages=35|via=}}</ref> They believe that group living best fits the nature of humans and can lead to the most enjoyable life.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/user-345297116/loveonlineradio-1209|title=LoveOnlineRadio - 1209|last=Banks|first=Laura|date=|website=http://www.laurabanks.com/love-online-radio/|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref> Victor Baranco recognized that to sustain a cohesive group it was imperative to handle communication, sensuality and decision-making. Those areas became among their topics of research.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48109806|title=Extended massive orgasm : how you can give and receive intense sexual pleasure|last=Steve.|first=Bodansky,|date=2000|publisher=Vermilion|others=Bodansky, Vera.|isbn=0091857430|location=London|oclc=48109806}}</ref> The group’s findings are presented to the public in the form of courses, and the group receives no outside funding that could bias its findings.<ref name=":0" />


== Philosophy ==
== Philosophy ==
The cornerstone of the “More philosophy” is the concept of perfection - the belief that people and situations are right the way they are<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/vic-flash.html|title=Vic's flash to perfection|last=Baranco|first=Victor|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite news|url=|title=Life in a Commune Doesn’t Have to Be Spartan and Dreary|last=Sansweet|first=Stephen|date=9 April 1974|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=}}</ref> and that perfection includes the potential for change.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sunkissedhiker.com/blog/purple-people-lafayette-morehouse-lafayette-ca/|title=Purple People, Lafayette Morehouse {{!}} Lafayette, CA|last=Chelsea|first=|date=|website=Sunkissed Hiker|archive-url=|archive-date=24 August 2015|dead-url=|access-date=31 May 2018}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ic.org/directory/lafayette-morehouse/|title=Lafayette Morehouse|last=|first=|date=|website=Fellowship for Intentional Community|archive-url=|archive-date=28 February 2016|dead-url=|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref> This includes the viewpoint that individuals are totally responsible for their lives, including thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite web|url=https://mhsmirador.com/feature/2010/05/28/lafayette-charitable-group-life-thrives/|title=Lafayette Charitable Group Life Thrives|last=Lee|first=Mackenzie|date=28 May 2010|website=The Mirador Online|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite news|url=|title=New Life Style Flourishes|last=Yarrow|first=Russ|date=6 July 1976|work=Contra Costa Times|access-date=}}</ref>
The cornerstone of the “More philosophy” is the concept of perfection - the belief that people and situations are right the way they are<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/vic-flash.html|title=Vic's flash to perfection|last=Baranco|first=Victor|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite news|url=|title=Life in a Commune Doesn’t Have to Be Spartan and Dreary|last=Sansweet|first=Stephen|date=9 April 1974|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=}}</ref> and that perfection includes the potential for change.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sunkissedhiker.com/blog/purple-people-lafayette-morehouse-lafayette-ca/|title=Purple People, Lafayette Morehouse {{!}} Lafayette, CA|last=Chelsea|first=|date=|website=Sunkissed Hiker|archive-url=|archive-date=24 August 2015|dead-url=|access-date=31 May 2018}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ic.org/directory/lafayette-morehouse/|title=Lafayette Morehouse|last=|first=|date=|website=Fellowship for Intentional Community|archive-url=|archive-date=28 February 2016|dead-url=|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref> This includes the viewpoint that individuals are totally responsible for their lives, including thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite web|url=https://mhsmirador.com/feature/2010/05/28/lafayette-charitable-group-life-thrives/|title=Lafayette Charitable Group Life Thrives|last=Lee|first=Mackenzie|date=28 May 2010|website=The Mirador Online|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite news|url=|title=New Life Style Flourishes|last=Yarrow|first=Russ|date=6 July 1976|work=Contra Costa Times|access-date=}}</ref>


The term “More” is used in the sense that “if the world is good, then more can only mean better.”<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/faq.html#why-morehouse|title=Why are you called Morehouse?|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/940521207|title=Pussy : a reclamation|last=Regena,|first=Thomashauer,|isbn=9781401950248|edition=1st edition|location=Carlsbad, California|oclc=940521207}}</ref> Residents consider themselves to be "responsible hedonists”<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://keptwoman.blogspot.com/search?q=two+men|title=Life of a Kept Woman|last=Lott|first=Oceana|date=2 April 2005|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://burblife.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/suburban-sex-with-the-purple-people/|title=Suburban Sex, Purple People|last=|first=|date=21 February 2011|website=Life in the 'Burbs|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref> - with the idea that the best possible life includes concern for the welfare of others and that apparent pleasure at the expense of others is not pleasure.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://livingexperiment.com/winwin/|title=win-win relating|last=Gerasimo|first=Pilar|date=|website=The Living Experiment|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref> This viewpoint is expressed in a quote from Dr. Baranco: “Fun is the goal; love is the way.”<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />
The term “More” is used in the sense that “if the world is good, then more can only mean better.”<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/faq.html#why-morehouse|title=Why are you called Morehouse?|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/940521207|title=Pussy : a reclamation|last=Regena,|first=Thomashauer,|isbn=9781401950248|edition=1st edition|location=Carlsbad, California|oclc=940521207}}</ref> Residents consider themselves to be "responsible hedonists”<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://keptwoman.blogspot.com/search?q=two+men|title=Life of a Kept Woman|last=Lott|first=Oceana|date=2 April 2005|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://burblife.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/suburban-sex-with-the-purple-people/|title=Suburban Sex, Purple People|last=|first=|date=21 February 2011|website=Life in the 'Burbs|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref> - with the idea that the best possible life includes concern for the welfare of others and that apparent pleasure at the expense of others is not pleasure.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":21">{{Cite web|url=http://livingexperiment.com/winwin/|title=win-win relating|last=Gerasimo|first=Pilar|date=|website=The Living Experiment|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref> This viewpoint is expressed in a quote from Dr. Baranco: “Fun is the goal; love is the way.”<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />


== History ==
== History ==
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Since its inception, Lafayette Morehouse has conducted extensive research in how a group can live together pleasurably,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":1" /> including groups as small as two, focusing on topics such as lifestyles, communication, coupled relationships, and sensuality.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite news|url=|title=We’re Just People’ At More University|last=Dewolk|first=Roland|date=|work=Contra Costa Times|access-date=}}</ref> While sensuality was only one among many areas of investigation, this was the topic for which the group became best known.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> Their investigations of female equality and the importance of the clitoris in female orgasm were pioneering in the late 1960s and 1970s, and these findings were sometimes sensationalized in the press.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" /> The group gained notoriety for the 1976 public demonstrations of a woman in continuous orgasm for three hours, which it claims were the first known demonstrations of that kind. The group has since trained many people to this standard.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":8" />
Since its inception, Lafayette Morehouse has conducted extensive research in how a group can live together pleasurably,<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":1" /> including groups as small as two, focusing on topics such as lifestyles, communication, coupled relationships, and sensuality.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite news|url=|title=We’re Just People’ At More University|last=Dewolk|first=Roland|date=|work=Contra Costa Times|access-date=}}</ref> While sensuality was only one among many areas of investigation, this was the topic for which the group became best known.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> Their investigations of female equality and the importance of the clitoris in female orgasm were pioneering in the late 1960s and 1970s, and these findings were sometimes sensationalized in the press.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" /> The group gained notoriety for the 1976 public demonstrations of a woman in continuous orgasm for three hours, which it claims were the first known demonstrations of that kind. The group has since trained many people to this standard.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":8" />


The findings of their social experiments were initially presented as courses under the auspices of the Institute of Human Abilities.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> In 1977 the State of California adopted laws to encourage and regulate new educational institutions, and More University was created as a DBA of Lafayette Morehouse Inc., a for-profit corporation that had been formed in 1972.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/more-university.html|title=More University|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref> More University was authorized to grant bachelor of humanities degrees, master’s degrees in communication, as well as doctoral degrees in lifestyles and sensuality, with the faculty drawn from senior members of the group.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":17">{{Cite news|url=https://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/purple-haze/Content?oid=2132347|title=Purple Haze A speedy tour of the Morehouse commune|last=Boulware|first=Jack|date=23 August 1995|work=SF Weekly|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49248350|title=Planet medicine|last=1944-|first=Grossinger, Richard,|date=©2000-|publisher=North Atlantic Books|isbn=1556433913|edition=Rev., 7th ed|location=Berkeley, Calif.|oclc=49248350}}</ref> It completely complied with the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 1977 as a “State Authorized” university.<ref name=":15">[https://web.archive.org/web/20031203150354/http://www.bppve.ca.gov/reform_act/index.html Private Postsecondary and Vocational Reform Act of 1989]</ref> Although criticized as a “diploma mill,” over a 20-year period it granted degrees to fewer than 90 people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=No More Degrees, state orders School.|last=Edwards|first=Katherine|date=5 November 1996|work=The Contra Costa Times|access-date=}}</ref> In 1997, responding to a change in the law, Lafayette Morehouse declined to pursue recertification of the University under the new rules, and More University was dissolved.<ref name=":15" /> No further degrees were granted and the group resumed doing business as Lafayette Morehouse, with much of the same curriculum.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite web|url=http://blog.trellishouse.org/lafayette-morehouse/|title=Lafayette Morehouse and Victor Baranco — A brief history & resource guide|last=Beneteau|first=Marc|date=|website=Adventures in Relationship and Community|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=29 May 2018}}</ref>
The findings of their social experiments were initially presented as courses under the auspices of the Institute of Human Abilities.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> In 1977 the State of California adopted laws to encourage and regulate new educational institutions, and More University was created as a DBA of Lafayette Morehouse Inc., a for-profit corporation that had been formed in 1972.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/more-university.html|title=More University|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref> More University was authorized to grant bachelor of humanities degrees, master’s degrees in communication, as well as doctoral degrees in lifestyles and sensuality, with the faculty drawn from senior members of the group.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":17">{{Cite news|url=https://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/purple-haze/Content?oid=2132347|title=Purple Haze A speedy tour of the Morehouse commune|last=Boulware|first=Jack|date=23 August 1995|work=SF Weekly|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49248350|title=Planet medicine|last=1944-|first=Grossinger, Richard,|date=©2000-|publisher=North Atlantic Books|isbn=1556433913|edition=Rev., 7th ed|location=Berkeley, Calif.|oclc=49248350}}</ref> It completely complied with the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 1977 as a “State Authorized” university.<ref name=":15">[https://web.archive.org/web/20031203150354/http://www.bppve.ca.gov/reform_act/index.html Private Postsecondary and Vocational Reform Act of 1989]</ref> Although criticized as a “diploma mill,” over a 20-year period it granted degrees to fewer than 90 people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=|title=No More Degrees, state orders School.|last=Edwards|first=Katherine|date=5 November 1996|work=The Contra Costa Times|access-date=}}</ref> In 1997, responding to a change in the law, Lafayette Morehouse declined to pursue recertification of the University under the new rules, and More University was dissolved.<ref name=":15" /> No further degrees were granted and the group resumed doing business as Lafayette Morehouse, with much of the same curriculum.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite web|url=http://blog.trellishouse.org/lafayette-morehouse/|title=Lafayette Morehouse and Victor Baranco — A brief history & resource guide|last=Beneteau|first=Marc|date=|website=Adventures in Relationship and Community|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=29 May 2018}}</ref>


Since Victor Baranco’s death in 2002,<ref>{{cite news|title=Obituaries|url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/09/12/news/obits.html|accessdate=June 7, 2008|work=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]|date=September 12, 2002|quote='''Victor Baranco Jr.''', 68, of Haleiwa, educator and founder of the More Phylosophy, died Saturday. He was born in Oakland, Calif. He is survived by wife Dr. Cynthia A., sons David and Bro, daughters Michelle and Sugar Ann, and four grandchildren. No services.}}</ref> Dr. Cynthia Baranco, his widow and constant companion of 27 years, has led the group in continuing its social research, adding new courses to the curriculum and a feminine voice to the group’s teaching.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/cindy_baranco.html|title=Cindy Baranco|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref> On July 14, 2018 the community will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Since Victor Baranco’s death in 2002,<ref>{{cite news|title=Obituaries|url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/09/12/news/obits.html|accessdate=June 7, 2008|work=[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]|date=September 12, 2002|quote='''Victor Baranco Jr.''', 68, of Haleiwa, educator and founder of the More Phylosophy, died Saturday. He was born in Oakland, Calif. He is survived by wife Dr. Cynthia A., sons David and Bro, daughters Michelle and Sugar Ann, and four grandchildren. No services.}}</ref> Dr. Cynthia Baranco, his widow and constant companion of 27 years, has led the group in continuing its social research, adding new courses to the curriculum and a feminine voice to the group’s teaching.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/cindy_baranco.html|title=Cindy Baranco|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref> On July 14, 2018 the community will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Line 20: Line 20:


== Life in the Community ==
== Life in the Community ==
The everyday goal is to live pleasurably with one’s friends.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /> The group has found that people who live deliberately and with awareness enjoy more fun relationships, which have tended to endure and deepen in intimacy.[3] Residents pursue their individual goals with the support of the group.[5][9] Residents also share group goals and participate in group activities, such as maintenance of the property, entertaining family and friends, putting on courses and holiday celebrations.[2]
The everyday goal is to live pleasurably with one’s friends.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /> The group has found that people who live deliberately and with awareness enjoy more fun relationships, which have tended to endure and deepen in intimacy.<ref name=":1" /> Residents pursue their individual goals with the support of the group.<ref name=":20" /><ref name=":2" /> Residents also share group goals and participate in group activities, such as maintenance of the property, entertaining family and friends, putting on courses and holiday celebrations.<ref name=":5" />


People have their own money and make contributions to communal expenses, goals, and projects.[2][9] Some residents have jobs outside of Morehouse.[2][31]
People have their own money and make contributions to communal expenses, goals, and projects.[2][9] Some residents have jobs outside of Morehouse.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":19" />


One group goal is taking care of the less fortunate.[13][21] Residents are encouraged to include this as an ongoing part of their lives,[13] according to the viewpoint that the best life includes serving the world unselfishly.[12][24]
One group goal is taking care of the less fortunate.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":13" /> Residents are encouraged to include this as an ongoing part of their lives, according to the viewpoint that the best life includes serving the world unselfishly.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":22" />


According to their website, “There is no label regarding sexual choices that applies across the board for our group. Sexual preference is a personal choice. Some people here are celibate, many are monogamous and some have more than one partner.”[7][33] Residents adhere to a strict sexual health screening program, begun in the late 1970s, to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections.[34]
According to their website, “There is no label regarding sexual choices that applies across the board for our group. Sexual preference is a personal choice. Some people here are celibate, many are monogamous and some have more than one partner.”<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/faq.html#poly|title=Are you polyamorous?|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=June 4 2018}}</ref> Residents adhere to a strict sexual health screening program, begun in the late 1970s, to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/faq.html#std|title=How do you maintain the sexual health of your community in this age of STDs that are incurable or potentially fatal?|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref>


The political expression of the More philosophy is called one no-vote, a decision-making system in which any participant, regardless of age, gender, time with the community, or any other factor can cast an irrevocable “no-vote” which stops any proposed new action.[2][35] This system is meant to encourage open communication and ensure that all voices are heard and considered before moving forward.[19][36]
The political expression of the More philosophy is called one no-vote, a decision-making system in which any participant, regardless of age, gender, time with the community, or any other factor can cast an irrevocable “no-vote” which stops any proposed new action.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafayettemorehouse.com/one_no-vote.html|title=One no-vote|last=|first=|date=|website=Lafayette Morehouse|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=4 June 2018}}</ref> This system is meant to encourage open communication and ensure that all voices are heard and considered before moving forward.<ref name=":21" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ic.org/directory/oakland-morehouse/|title=Oakland Morehouse|last=|first=|date=|website=Fellowship for Intentional Community|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref>


== Criticisms ==
== Criticisms ==

Revision as of 00:14, 4 June 2018

Lafayette Morehouse is an intentional community conceived in 1968 in Lafayette, California.[1] The lifestyle it practices is often referred to as “Morehouse.”[2] Inspired by its founder Dr. Victor Baranco and his first wife Dr. Suzanne Baranco, and now by his widow Dr. Cynthia Baranco,[1][3] Morehouse has been a continuous experiment in group living for nearly 50 years, one of few intentional communities still existing from the 1960s.[1][4]

Residents of Lafayette Morehouse consider themselves to be social researchers studying the nature of pleasurable group living.[5][6] They believe that group living best fits the nature of humans and can lead to the most enjoyable life.[7] Victor Baranco recognized that to sustain a cohesive group it was imperative to handle communication, sensuality and decision-making. Those areas became among their topics of research.[3][8] The group’s findings are presented to the public in the form of courses, and the group receives no outside funding that could bias its findings.[1]

Philosophy

The cornerstone of the “More philosophy” is the concept of perfection - the belief that people and situations are right the way they are[9][10] and that perfection includes the potential for change.[11][12] This includes the viewpoint that individuals are totally responsible for their lives, including thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.[9][13][14]

The term “More” is used in the sense that “if the world is good, then more can only mean better.”[15][16] Residents consider themselves to be "responsible hedonists”[17][18] - with the idea that the best possible life includes concern for the welfare of others and that apparent pleasure at the expense of others is not pleasure.[18][19] This viewpoint is expressed in a quote from Dr. Baranco: “Fun is the goal; love is the way.”[3][12]

History

The community was founded by Dr. Victor Baranco (son of the Oakland jazz pianist Wilbert Baranco), a self-made millionaire who had achieved “the American dream” but was still looking for more in life.[1][10] One night in 1966 he deliberately examined his life and concluded that he and everything in the world were perfect and that he was responsible for everything that had happened to him.[10][13] Based on this realization, in 1968 he conceived of the Morehouse lifestyle as one in which people could live together pleasurably without doing anything they didn’t want to do,[20] while serving the world unselfishly and profiting by it.[12]

Since its inception, Lafayette Morehouse has conducted extensive research in how a group can live together pleasurably,[2][3] including groups as small as two, focusing on topics such as lifestyles, communication, coupled relationships, and sensuality.[1][21] While sensuality was only one among many areas of investigation, this was the topic for which the group became best known.[6][7] Their investigations of female equality and the importance of the clitoris in female orgasm were pioneering in the late 1960s and 1970s, and these findings were sometimes sensationalized in the press.[14][16] The group gained notoriety for the 1976 public demonstrations of a woman in continuous orgasm for three hours, which it claims were the first known demonstrations of that kind. The group has since trained many people to this standard.[3][8]

The findings of their social experiments were initially presented as courses under the auspices of the Institute of Human Abilities.[1][9] In 1977 the State of California adopted laws to encourage and regulate new educational institutions, and More University was created as a DBA of Lafayette Morehouse Inc., a for-profit corporation that had been formed in 1972.[14][21][22] More University was authorized to grant bachelor of humanities degrees, master’s degrees in communication, as well as doctoral degrees in lifestyles and sensuality, with the faculty drawn from senior members of the group.[22][23][24] It completely complied with the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 1977 as a “State Authorized” university.[25] Although criticized as a “diploma mill,” over a 20-year period it granted degrees to fewer than 90 people.[26] In 1997, responding to a change in the law, Lafayette Morehouse declined to pursue recertification of the University under the new rules, and More University was dissolved.[25] No further degrees were granted and the group resumed doing business as Lafayette Morehouse, with much of the same curriculum.[22][27]

Since Victor Baranco’s death in 2002,[28] Dr. Cynthia Baranco, his widow and constant companion of 27 years, has led the group in continuing its social research, adding new courses to the curriculum and a feminine voice to the group’s teaching.[13][29] On July 14, 2018 the community will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Over the years a substantial number of communal living experiments using Morehouse principles have been conducted.[note 1] Most of these have been in northern California,[9] but related communities have also been located in New York,[31] Pennsylvania, Georgia, Hawaii, and other states.[1][27] At this time the primary community is in Lafayette, CA, and there is also a Morehouse in Oakland, CA.[7][32]

Life in the Community

The everyday goal is to live pleasurably with one’s friends.[20][31] The group has found that people who live deliberately and with awareness enjoy more fun relationships, which have tended to endure and deepen in intimacy.[3] Residents pursue their individual goals with the support of the group.[5][9] Residents also share group goals and participate in group activities, such as maintenance of the property, entertaining family and friends, putting on courses and holiday celebrations.[2]

People have their own money and make contributions to communal expenses, goals, and projects.[2][9] Some residents have jobs outside of Morehouse.[2][31]

One group goal is taking care of the less fortunate.[13][21] Residents are encouraged to include this as an ongoing part of their lives, according to the viewpoint that the best life includes serving the world unselfishly.[12][24]

According to their website, “There is no label regarding sexual choices that applies across the board for our group. Sexual preference is a personal choice. Some people here are celibate, many are monogamous and some have more than one partner.”[7][33] Residents adhere to a strict sexual health screening program, begun in the late 1970s, to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections.[34]

The political expression of the More philosophy is called one no-vote, a decision-making system in which any participant, regardless of age, gender, time with the community, or any other factor can cast an irrevocable “no-vote” which stops any proposed new action.[2][35] This system is meant to encourage open communication and ensure that all voices are heard and considered before moving forward.[19][36]

Criticisms

Victor Baranco was one of three subjects of David Felton's Mindfuckers:[37]

Charles Manson, Victor Baranco and Mel Lyman, the superheroes of the following stories, are mindfuckers simply because they have made it their business to fuck men's minds and to control them. They've succeeded by assuming godlike authority and using such mindfucking techniques as physical and verbal bullying and group humiliation

— David Felton, Mindfuckers quoted in Billingsley 1994[38]

Victor Baranco and More University were amongst the subjects of a 1994 article in Heterodoxy investigating "Mark Groups".[38] The author based his conclusions entirely on secondary sources and never visited the group, interviewed its members, or examined the course material.[citation needed]

A few of the many incidents reported include a health officials' report on contraction of gonorrhea by a 3-year-old girl "while on the Lafayette property";[38] in 1980 the head of "Medical Science" having licence revoked because of the prescription of "excessive amounts of narcotics and mood-altering drugs";[38] multiple litigations frequently dismissed, including

a libel suit against the San Francisco Chronicle, which dubbed the school an "Academy of Carnal Knowledge". Still another suit involved Contra Costa County.

— Billingsley, University of Sex[38]

In an article about the One Taste Urban Retreat Center, Lafayette Morehouse is mentioned as being the original inspiration for its philosophy

Lafayette Morehouse, a controversial 40-year-old community still in existence in suburban Lafayette, Calif., that has been conducting public demonstrations of a woman in orgasm since 1976.

Morehouse's founder, Victor Baranco, was a former appliance salesman who called his philosophy "responsible hedonism." By some accounts, Mr. Baranco, who died in 2002, used coercive techniques of mind control.

"It was a huge ego-crushing machine, as any valid monastic tradition is," said a man who lived at Morehouse for 20 years and did not want to be identified.[39]

Notes

  1. ^ sources have estimated between 30 and 100 such communities existed at the peak in the 1970s. [1][9][23][27][30]

Works

  • The Aquarius, published irregularly from 1970 to 2004
  • Morehouse - Choosing Your Family, published in Communities Magazine, Spring 2010, Issue 146, page 35

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Heller, Laurie Rivlin (2005). "Basic Sense: The More Philosophy of Victor Baranco and the Institute of Human Abilities". Communal Societies. 25: 29 – via Communal Studies.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hermanson, Carol Ann (Freya). Lifestyles, Sexuality and Relationships: An Ethnographic Study of the Lafayette Morehouse Community. UMI Company (1998). UMI Microform 9909450. California Institute of Integral Studies
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Welcome to Lafayette Morehouse". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved 1 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  4. ^ "Who are you?". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved 2 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  5. ^ a b Shramko, James and Firestone, Ezra (August 13, 2013). "27 - Sex". Think, Act, Get. Retrieved 31 May 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b "Morehouse - Choosing Your Family". Communities Magazine. 146: 35. Spring 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d Banks, Laura. "LoveOnlineRadio - 1209". http://www.laurabanks.com/love-online-radio/. Retrieved 2 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help); External link in |website= (help)
  8. ^ a b Steve., Bodansky, (2000). Extended massive orgasm : how you can give and receive intense sexual pleasure. Bodansky, Vera. London: Vermilion. ISBN 0091857430. OCLC 48109806.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b c d e f Baranco, Victor. "Vic's flash to perfection". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved 3 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. ^ a b c Sansweet, Stephen (9 April 1974). "Life in a Commune Doesn't Have to Be Spartan and Dreary". The Wall Street Journal.
  11. ^ Chelsea. "Purple People, Lafayette Morehouse | Lafayette, CA". Sunkissed Hiker. Retrieved 31 May 2018. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  12. ^ a b c d "Lafayette Morehouse". Fellowship for Intentional Community. Retrieved 2 June 2018. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  13. ^ a b c d Lee, Mackenzie (28 May 2010). "Lafayette Charitable Group Life Thrives". The Mirador Online. Retrieved 28 May 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  14. ^ a b c Yarrow, Russ (6 July 1976). "New Life Style Flourishes". Contra Costa Times.
  15. ^ "Why are you called Morehouse?". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved 3 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  16. ^ a b Regena,, Thomashauer,. Pussy : a reclamation (1st edition ed.). Carlsbad, California. ISBN 9781401950248. OCLC 940521207. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Lott, Oceana (2 April 2005). "Life of a Kept Woman". Retrieved 2 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  18. ^ a b "Suburban Sex, Purple People". Life in the 'Burbs. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  19. ^ a b Gerasimo, Pilar. "win-win relating". The Living Experiment. Retrieved 4 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  20. ^ a b Gerasimo, Pilar. "Resistance to Pleasure". The Living Experiment. Retrieved 4 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  21. ^ a b c Dewolk, Roland. "We're Just People' At More University". Contra Costa Times.
  22. ^ a b c "More University". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved 3 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  23. ^ a b Boulware, Jack (23 August 1995). "Purple Haze A speedy tour of the Morehouse commune". SF Weekly. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  24. ^ a b 1944-, Grossinger, Richard, (©2000-). Planet medicine (Rev., 7th ed ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books. ISBN 1556433913. OCLC 49248350. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |last= has numeric name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ a b Private Postsecondary and Vocational Reform Act of 1989
  26. ^ Edwards, Katherine (5 November 1996). "No More Degrees, state orders School". The Contra Costa Times.
  27. ^ a b c Beneteau, Marc. "Lafayette Morehouse and Victor Baranco — A brief history & resource guide". Adventures in Relationship and Community. Retrieved 29 May 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  28. ^ "Obituaries". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. September 12, 2002. Retrieved June 7, 2008. Victor Baranco Jr., 68, of Haleiwa, educator and founder of the More Phylosophy, died Saturday. He was born in Oakland, Calif. He is survived by wife Dr. Cynthia A., sons David and Bro, daughters Michelle and Sugar Ann, and four grandchildren. No services.
  29. ^ "Cindy Baranco". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved 1 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  30. ^ Green, Robin (9 Dec 1971). "Sgt Bilko Meets the New Culture". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  31. ^ a b c Greenfield, Beth (8 March 2017). "66-Year-Old Model on Her Unconventional Beauty, Hedonistic Commune Life". Yahoo! Lifestyle. Retrieved 4 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  32. ^ "The Oakland Morehouse". Retrieved 2 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  33. ^ "Are you polyamorous?". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved June 4 2018. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  34. ^ "How do you maintain the sexual health of your community in this age of STDs that are incurable or potentially fatal?". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved 4 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  35. ^ "One no-vote". Lafayette Morehouse. Retrieved 4 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  36. ^ "Oakland Morehouse". Fellowship for Intentional Community. Retrieved 3 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  37. ^ David Felton, Robin Green and David Dalton. "Mindfuckers: A Source Book on the Rise of Acid Fascism in America". Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  38. ^ a b c d e Billingsley, K.L. (March 1994), "University of Sex", Heterodoxy, vol. 2, no. 7, Studio City, CA: Center for the Study of Popular Culture, p. 13, ISSN 1069-7268
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT2009-03-13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Further reading

  • Laurie Rivlin Heller (2005). "Basic Sense: The More Philosophy of Victor Baranco and the Institute of Human Abilities", Communal Societies, vol. 25, page 29.
  • Robin Green, "Sergeant Bilko Meets the New Culture", Rolling Stone #97, December 9, 1971, pages 1 and 40–46
  • Robin Green, "Beyond Shazam at Guru Gulch", Rolling Stone #114, pp 14–16, Aug. 3, 1972. Covers attempt by Mel Lyman to connect with Baranco and learn more about his methods.

37°55′11″N 122°05′37″W / 37.91973°N 122.09372°W / 37.91973; -122.09372

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