It's Called "Polyamory": Coming Out About Your Nonmonogamous Relationships

A primer on explaining to friends, family, and coworkers what consensual nonmonogamy means, and what living it means for you.

Even in progressive families and communities, people who practice nonmonogamy are susceptible to misinformation and accusations of moral and emotional failings. Facing this requires its own coming out and education process.

In this guide, Tamara Pincus and Rebecca Hiles provide a roadmap for explaining the expansive intricacies of the consensual nonmonogamy spectrum. By fusing personal experience and community research, they break down the various incarnations of polyamorous relationship structures, polyamory's intersections with race and gender, and the seemingly esoteric jargon of the lifestyle.

Topics include everything from how to explain what a "unicorn hunter" is to answering questions like, "Can poly people raise children?" and "Can they live normal, healthy lives?" Such conversations are eloquently explained and the real dangers of being out as poly in a monogamy-centered society are laid bare.

Tamara Pincus is a licensed clinical social worker and AASECT-certified sex therapist who runs a private practice in the Washington, DC, area. She specializes in working with kinky, polyamorous and LGBTQ clients.

Rebecca Hiles is a dating, relationships, and sexual wellness coach. She has contributed to Sexpert.com and xoJane.com, and has had her writing featured on Everyday Feminism. She was voted one of the Top 100 Sex Blogging Superheroes of 2014 and 2015.