Sexual Subcultures - Polyamory

Polyamory

Polyamory is the practice and associated culture of being romantically connected or involved with more than one person. Polyamory can occur in a social group, culture, or group of people specific to a certain gender-identity or sexual orientation. In some cultures the practice of forming multiple simultaneous romantic relationships is controversial.

Polygamy (a form of polyamory) is the practice of legally marrying more than one person. It is against the law to marry more than one person in the United States; however, there are many countries around the world where polygamy and/or polyamorous relationships are not unusual. For example it is not uncommon in many middle eastern cultures for men to have multiple wives. This type of polyamorous relationship is know as polygyny.

The illegal status of multiple marriages in many parts of the world has not stopped the formation of communities and sub-cultures that practice polyamory and informal polygamy. There are several accounts of attempted private polygamist communities in Western Europe and North America. However, these communities, for the most part, have eventually disbanded. In Western Culture there are few or no examples of widespread acceptance of polyamory. This does not mean that polyamorous relationships in Western culture (and subcultures) do not exist. In the United States it is estimated that polyamory is practiced by roughly 10% of the population. Polyamory exists mainly as isolated instances in which those in relationships have made agreements with their significant other(s). There are, however, many variations and examples of polyamorous relationships.