Polyamorous

Polyamorous, also shortened to polyam or poly, describes a way of loving and forming relationships. People may describe themselves as polyamorous if they can fall in love with more than one person at the same time, or if they have, want, or are open to romantic, queerplatonic, and/or sexual relationships with more than one person at once.

Polyamory is a form of consensual non-monogamy. What matters is that all relationship and/or sexual partners involved know about the relationship structure and freely agree to it. This is what fundamentally distinguishes polyamory from cheating or secret betrayal. It is based on honesty, clear communication, reliable agreements, and respect for everyone’s boundaries.

Polyamory can be lived in many different ways, such as committed multi-partner relationships, open networks, hierarchical or non-hierarchical relationship models. It is not the same as polygamy, although it can overlap with open relationships or other forms of non-monogamous relating depending on how people live it. Regular conversations about needs, jealousy, time, commitment, safer sex, and sexual health are important.