Open relationships, polyamory, swinging, triads, quads, what the heck is happening with relationships nowadays? Gone are the simple days of seemingly ubiquitous heterosexual Monogamy. We hope that if you’re reading this, you’re more curious than afraid of our culture’s shifting relational landscape, but even if you are afraid, we hope to quell some of your fears!
This work will aim to define and describe a myriad of relationship structures that all fall under the umbrella of Consensual Nonmonogamy (CNM). What does it mean to be consensually nonmonogamous? How do we define Consent? How do we perform it? What does it mean to be nonmonogamous within a culture where romantic and sexual Monogamy is the Norm?
In the dictionary tab, we unwrap both Consent and Nonmonogamy using keywords that we hope even monogamous folks will be familiar with. We intentionally use words and concepts that are also present in normative monogamous relationships to highlight that Consensual Nonmonogamy may have more in common with normative monogamous relationships than you think. However, definitions alone can only go so far in understanding CNM. We are big believers that stories are a great way for our brains to truly internalize a concept. While definitions can give us the outline, stories color in the lines to give us a beautiful mental picture of what it means to have a CNM relationship structure. Our stories come from our friends, ourselves, and anonymous submissions from across the globe. We hope they humanize your view of CNM into a beautiful mosaic of understanding and Acceptance.