What Is Solo Polyamory?
Solo polyamory is one of the main forms of ethical non-monogamy. This term has been discussed extensively by author Tristan Taormino in her book, “Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships” published in 2008. Rather than working towards pooling finances, living together, and other relationship escalator milestones, solo polyamory empowers an individual to center their autonomy and relationship to Self in a way that rejects the idea that people should be defined by their relationships with others. It still includes space for cultivating unique partnerships with others, while the bedrock of this model is the belief that relationships do not need to follow heteronormative couple milestones or a pre-determined relationship escalator to build meaningful commitments.
Solo Polyamory in Practice
E.g. Vic practices solo polyamory and cherishes a solid community of life-long chosen family while balancing a vibrant social life. They show up for their kin and trust they’ll reciprocate when needed, having established friends as medical proxy and power of attorney. Vic loves living alone, and has no desire to change their last name, open a bank account with a partner, or meet some imaginary bar for social acceptance rooted in pair-bonding. Vic has enjoyed deeply fulfilling long-term comet partnerships with some special people, and is open to dating when meeting interesting folx at one of the many events they frequently attend.