'My open marriage is controversial, we can veto relationships if we disapprove'
A happily married woman has uncovered the secret to a successful relationship: sleep with other people but come home to each other.
Dr Lori Beth Bisbey explained that while she did try out monogamy at a time - she had one monogamous marriage and her husband had two - she eventually discovered that the key to a successful relationship for her was non-monogamy.
Lori Beth changed her relationship style she realised that she was bisexual and didn't want to 'give up a large part of sexuality' by being monogamous.
She said of her marriage: "We both were non-monogamous when we got together and agreed that was how our relationship would be run."
Lori said she began to explore a polyamorous lifestyle once she discovered she was bisexual (CATERS NEWS AGENCY)
Lori said she and her husband practices a "veto rule," which allows one partner to reject the sexual partner of the other (CATERS NEWS AGENCY)Lori Beth explained that she and her husband identify as polyamorous, which, for those unfamiliar with the term, means that a person can engage in more than one committed romantic relationship at the same time.
Opening up about the appeal behind this relationship style, Lori Beth, 60, who has been with her partner, 66, for 14 and a half years and married for just under nine, said it has many benefits for them.
She said: "We both love it as we get more needs met, have wider support and more places of joy.
"We were together for five years before we were married and have had other relationships throughout. I have two other long-term relationships.
"We meet people in the course of daily life. Neither of us spends time on dating apps. We have gone to events that are sex and relationship-positive and met people there.
"If I am at a sex-positive event, people talk freely about their relationship status (and I do as well). Otherwise, it is really not different than how you approach someone if you are interested in them.
"The only real challenge is finding time for multiple relationships - it's been especially hard to get together with partners after Covid. We have relationships that are transatlantic and travel has become more expensive and more complicated."
The only rule that Lori Beth and her husband, who are both from the USA and live in Scotland, UK, have when it comes to dating others is that they can 'veto' the relationship, which she admits is controversial.
Lori Beth said: "Though it is controversial, we do have a veto rule because of the structure we agreed in our relationship. Otherwise, we practice safe sex and see consent as the key to establishing safety."
Opening up about how they navigate any potential jealousy in their relationship, Lori Beth, who is a sex and intimacy coach, said that in her experience, jealousy comes from one of two places in non-monogamy.
She added: "In my professional experience, jealousy arises from insecurity about yourself and feeling insecure about your place in the relationship.
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