We love the UK’s vast swinger community. Its supportive of gay and trans polyamorous endeavors, it’s vibrant, it’s sticky as in connective and inclusive. But it’s certainly not perfect, as anyone in our community will attest.
The UK’s legal framework still lags behind when it comes to recognising and protecting diverse relationship styles, leaving swingers and polyamorous communities without the rights and support they deserve. As these consensual non-monogamous lifestyles become more visible, it’s crucial for UK laws to evolve. Here are some key areas where change is needed to create a more inclusive environment for those who embrace alternative relationship structures.
So what needs to be done?
Modernising Family Law
Simply put, change begins with the UK’s archaic family law. Current UK family law does not recognise polyamorous relationships. At first glance, you might think this doesn’t matter a whole lot. But it most certainly does.
Legal matters such as custody, property rights, and shared benefits are thrust into chaos due to this.
The solution, at minimum, is to introduce civil partnerships for polyamorous groups. This would be a positive step towards acknowledging diverse family structures and providing much needed and long overdue legal protections.
This change would also improve custody arrangements, ensuring that all caregivers involved in a child’s life are legally recognised, not just those in conventional relationships.
Including Polyamory in the Equality Act
Unfortunately, things aren’t equal, and that’s none more obvious than when we examine the country’s Equality Act (yes, we see the irony).
The UK’s Equality Act currently does not extend protections to those practising consensual non-monogamy, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination in workplaces, healthcare, and other public settings.
Including polyamory would help reduce stigma, protect against harassment, and ensure fair treatment across all areas of life.
This would also encourage schools and healthcare providers to adapt more inclusive policies for diverse relationship dynamics.
Strengthening Employment Protections
If you’re not safe at work, where are you safe?
Employment protections for people in consensual non-monogamous relationships are currently limited in the UK. While some safeguards exist for sexual orientation and marital status, explicit protections for polyamorous and swinging individuals are lacking.
We need to update employment law to include these lifestyles so we ensure that people’s personal relationship choices do not unfairly impact their employment opportunities. Moreover, this would encourage employers to extend benefits to multiple partners and create a more inclusive workspace.
Shifting from Moral to Ethical Legal Standards
We’re gonna get a little deep here.
Many UK laws, particularly around family and custody, are influenced by traditional moral values that favour monogamous relationships, often rooted in outdated religious or cultural norms.
Sound familiar?
This is a well-known problem all over the world, including the United States, which until recently was slow to move on gay rights.
Moving towards an ethical approach to lawmaking, rather than a moralistic one, would prioritise the rights and welfare of all individuals, creating a fairer system that respects diverse family structures.
Conclusion
The UK’s swingers and polyamorous communities are vibrant, growing, and deserving of the same recognition and protections as any other relationship style. By modernising family law, updating the Equality Act, strengthening employment protections, and adopting an ethical approach to lawmaking, the UK can build a more inclusive society that respects the varied ways people choose to connect and live today.
Its important to keep in mind that there’s been impactful societal movements towards greater understanding of swinger lifestyles and beyond. The UK is undoubtedly a global standard in such. We expect that archaic laws follow, but maybe slower than we’d like.
Charles Lace is a distinguished UK-based writer, born in 1975 in Brighton, who has become a prominent voice in the open relationship and swinger communities. His passion for exploring and documenting alternative lifestyles, particularly in the UK, has made him a well-known figure in these circles.
After studying Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, Lace began his career as a freelance journalist for London newspapers. In his late 20s, he found his niche writing about non-monogamous relationships and the swinger lifestyle. His breakthrough came in 2005 with the publication of “Open Hearts, Open Doors: An Introduction to Ethical Non-Monogamy,” which became an unexpected bestseller in its niche.
Known for his frank yet sensitive approach, Lace’s writing style combines personal anecdotes with well-researched information and expert interviews. He regularly contributes to various swinger publications, most notably through his column in “Lifestyle Horizons,” a popular UK-based magazine for the swinger and polyamorous communities.