Obviously, this has been quite a week, and Casey and I are feeling both the support and strain of being visible people on the internet.
We’re learning the difference between writing longform on Substack, having a conversation on Getting Close, and posting a reel to Instagram. Those three audiences are VERY different, and needless to say, this audience is my favorite. Folks here on Substack have a kindness of heart and depth of thought that I really, really appreciate.
We’re gonna take some much-needed us time, but I figured this was a great time to revamp my response to the eleven biggest open relationship myths.
See, according to research from the Gay Therapy Center, gay men are ten times more likely to be in an open relationship than their straight counterparts, and yet there are still so many misconceptions around what they are, how they function, and what a healthy one looks like. Whether you’re open, monogamous, poly, or just curious, this article’s for you.
Some of my favorite myths include: open relationships are all about sex, open relationships mean you can’t commit, you’re selfish if you’re open, open relationships are too messy, and jealousy is unavoidable.
The responses here are all taken straight from our lives, and I know they will help you think about openness and relationships in general in a new light. So, let’s get to the bottom of our community’s top eleven open relationship myths and see if I can set them straight (or gay).
Let’s jump in. I got you.
A quick note before we get into it: this newsletter is my only source of income thanks to my paid subscribers. Your support lets me treat this like the job it is, not just writing, but researching, marketing, and building this Queer community I love being a part of. So, if you value curious cultural conversations and honest explorations of sex and open relationships, please consider subscribing for the low price of $5/month. That’s less than the price of one gay iced coffee. If you can swing it, your support would truly mean the world to me.
