Living Openly Non-Monogamous: Navigating Stigma and Identity Over Time

Coming out is a beginning, not a conclusion. People who are openly non-monogamous over the long term navigate an ongoing social environment that requires continuous management: family members who accepted the information but struggle with its implications in practice, workplaces where discretion remains important, friendships that have shifted in response to disclosure, and a broader social context that is evolving but remains uneven in its acceptance. This applied course examines the long-term experience of living openly as a non-monogamous person. By the end of this course you will be able to identify the ongoing social management strategies most relevant to your own situation, apply practices for sustaining wellbeing under conditions of partial acceptance, and engage with advocacy and community-building as long-term resources. What you will learn: - The ongoing work of stigma management: how openly non-monogamous people navigate family holidays, social events, and institutional contexts over years - Managing family relationships after disclosure: how dynamics evolve over time and what strategies sustain connection while maintaining authenticity - Workplace contexts: assessing disclosure safety in employment environments and navigating non-monogamy in professional settings where full openness carries risk - How disclosure needs change over time: when relationships deepen, when children ask more sophisticated questions, and when new social contexts are entered - Building long-term non-monogamous community: how peer networks function as a protective and affirming resource over the years - Identity resilience: psychological practices for sustaining a coherent sense of self in the face of ongoing stigma or partial acceptance - Advocacy and visibility: the role of community engagement and personal storytelling in shifting social norms over time - Intersections of non-monogamy with other marginalised identities and how these intersections affect the experience of social stigma This course is structured around the long-term challenges of open non-monogamy, with research-informed readings, case narratives from people navigating these situations over years, and reflective exercises that invite you to apply each framework to your own evolving situation. A cumulative personal strategy review serves as the final exercise. This course is designed for non-monogamous individuals who are already partly or fully out and want to develop more deliberate long-term strategies for sustaining an open identity. It is also suitable for those preparing for the longer-term implications of disclosure decisions they are currently making. No prior coursework is required.