Thursday, February 28, 2008

What is Polyamory?

I know there are plenty of great resources out there on polyamory, like Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyamory). But I wanted to give a brief summary of what polyamory is to me.

Polyamory is the belief that it is morally and practically acceptable to have more than one romantic partner, so long as all parties to the relationship are honest with all their partners about it. This is not the same thing as swinging, though. Polyamorous people tend to seek out lasting emotional connections, not one night stands.

Polyamory sometimes takes the form of "closed" families of three or more partners ("polyfidelity") who do not form bonds outside the family. But it seems more common that someone who is actively polyamorous becomes part of a larger network. One of John's two girlfriends, Mary, could have another partner, Christine, who in turn has two other boyfriends, and so on. This is why one of the cardinal "rules" of polyamory is use of condoms to prevent the spread of STDs.

My own current situation is that my wife, Karma, is my only partner. We decided about a year and a half ago to be polyamorous. We're still exploring it and don't know what the future is.


About Me

I'm polyamorous. Galen is the pseudonym I use to shield my real identity to protect myself from the stigma regrettably associated with polyamory. This is my free place; my comfortable space. A request. If you have me friended on FaceBook or in other "real life" venues, please don't talk about poly related stuff. Thank you.

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