Polyfidelity

Polyfidelity is a type of non-monogamous relationship in which all members are recognized as equivalent to the other partners and comply to restrict sexual and romantic relationship activities to exclusively only other members within the group.

Origin

The Purple Mobius has been seen added to other images for poly discussion group logos, poly bookclubs, and even cross-over groups like poly atheists.

The practices and beliefs underlying polyfidelity have long existed, but in uncodified fashion. The Oneida Commune of the mid-19th century practiced complex marriage, encouraging individual members in the freedom to have multiple ongoing sexual relationships within the community, as an expression of their beliefs and religious faith. This was occasionally referred to as a group marriage, a term brought back to popular recognition by the 1974 publication of Group Marriage: a study of contemporary multilateral marriage by Larry Constantine and Joan Constantine.

The term polyfidelity was also practiced in the "New Tribe" of the Kerista Commune. ^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] A utopian community based in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, California active from the 1970s to the early 1990s. The engaged in a specific form of polyamory. Members were required to engage in multi-partner relationships that prioritize equality, and mutual consent. Respecting diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. Sexual activity with all members was encouraged while forming exclusive relationships within the group was discouraged. Consensus was essential for incorporating new members in and also respecting the group's foundational agreement.

The broader term polyamory was coined later.^[5] The word "polyamorous" first appeared in an article by Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, "A Bouquet of Lovers", published in May 1990 in Green Egg magazine, as "poly-amorous". In May 1992, Jennifer L. Wesp created the Usenet newsgroup alt.polyamory, and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) cites the proposal to create that group as the first verified appearance of the word. The words polyamory, polyamorous, and polyamorist were added to the OED in 2006.^[6]

Function

Polyfidelitous relationships are, like monogamous relationships, closed in the sense that partners agree not to be sexually or romantically intimate with someone not in the relationship. The difference is that more than two people are included in the closed group. New members may generally be added to the group only by unanimous agreement of the existing members, or the group may not be interested in further expansion.

While being a subtype of the more general polyamory, polyfidelity can resemble monogamy in its relationship power dynamics, attitudes towards autonomy, and group consent, as most often polyfidelity develops from an established closed-monogamous couple seeking to add one or more individuals or another couple. In this sense, polyfidelity expands upon standard practices and beliefs of monogamy while still being categorically polyamory.

Benefits and challenges

The Parrot Club Mascot was created in 1997 by Ray Dillinger and used by many early poly discussion groups.^[7]

A commonly cited advantage of polyfidelity is the ability to have unprotected sex among more than two people while maintaining relative safety regarding STDs, so long as any new members are sufficiently tested before fluid bonding with the group, and keep their commitments. This would have health advantages similar to monogamy, although risks rise somewhat with each person added.

Some gain a sense of emotional safety from the relatively closed nature of the poly faithful commitment.

Polyfidelity inherently affords less flexibility than other forms of nonmonogamy. For example, open relationships do not restrict sexual interactions to specific people.

As many polyfidelitous people have transitioned directly from closed monogamy, they can encounter problems in learning to communicate intimately with more than one partner.

People hoping to create or expand a group marriage mention difficulty finding potential partners with enough mutual compatibility to even consider attempting a relationship.

Polyfidelity, like other forms of consensual non-monogamy, can present the challenge of managing jealousy,^[8] maintaining clear communication, and ensuring equitable distribution of emotional and practical responsibilities. Successful polyfidelity often requires strong commitment and communication skills among all members.

Other usage

In the book Lesbian Polyfidelity, author Celeste West uses the term polyfidelity in much the same way that others use polyamory. This may represent independent coinage of the same term within a different community, and this usage is not common among polyamorists in general. West uses the term to emphasize the concept (common in polyamory) that one can be faithful to one's commitments without those commitments including sexual exclusivity.

References

^ "Kerista Commune Collection An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University". library.syracuse.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
^ Miller, Timothy (1999). The 60s communes: hippies and beyond. Syracuse University Press. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-8156-0601-7. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
^ Pines, Ayala; Aronson, Elliot (1981). "Polyfidelity: An alternative lifestyle without jealousy?". Journal of Family and Economic Issues. 4 (3): 373–392. doi:10.1007/BF01257945.
^ "Kerista.commune - The Historical Record". www.kerista.com. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
^ Alan M. (2 November 2012). "A History of Loving More". Loving More. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
^ "September 2006 update". The OED today. Oxford University Press. 14 September 2006. Archived from the original on December 28, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
^ "Polyamorous Symbols". The Inn Between. 2002. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
^ Anapol, D (Aug 16, 2010). Polyamory in the 21st Century: Love and Intimacy with Multiple Partners. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1442200234.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)