Gay Men's Health: Scotland's Charity for Gay Men |open

WELCOME TO GAY MEN’S HEALTH

We live in the not necessarily monogamous 21st century and people are living in all different kinds of relationships.

Open relationships can mean different things to different couples, and with with different rules. These can be anything from having sex with other people as long as your partner is there as well. It could mean agreeing to have sex only when you are out of the country maybe on business or on holiday. It could mean sucking other guys but no fucking.

It usually is taken to mean that you have a close committed bond with one other person – know that you love each other and your bond will keep you together but are able to have sex with other people within the boundaries and limits you have both talked about and agree upon.

Open relationships can suit couples where one other person can meet their emotional needs but they sexually like some variety. Some people feel that this arrangement allows both guys to have other sexual experiences outside of the couple. It can take complete emotional commitment and maturity to avoid issues around trust and jealousy.

Condoms still need to be considered and discussed ... what would you do if one of you choose to have sex with someone else outside of the relationship? How might this be dealt with between the two of you to avoid risks around sexually transmitted infections and HIV?