Dating Website OpenMinded Caters To Polyamorous Couples
Trending News: New 'Ethical Cheating' Dating Website Caters To Those Looking For 'Monogamish' Relationships
Why Is This Important?
Because is there even such a thing as "ethical cheating"?Long Story Short
OpenMinded.com is a new dating website that launched in March and caters to swingers, polyamorous couples and "ethical cheaters."Long Story
A new website launched in March called OpenMinded.com caters to individuals and couples looking for polyamorous relationships.Its founder is Brandon Wade, an MIT graduate responsible for other successful online dating websites such as MissTravel (a website for wealthy travelers who want to pay for airfare and hotel of a "guest"), SeekingArrangement.com (the original "sugar daddy" website), WhatsYourPrice.com (a website where men bid on first dates with women) and CarrotDating.com (an app that allows men to offer "incentives" for women to date them).
His new website diverges somewhat from the trend of his previous ventures, but clearly still pushes the boundaries of what society considers "conventional" relationships.
“The concept of monogamy is outdated, and monotony has pushed many relationships to take a turn for the monogamish,” Wade explained in a press release.
Wade hopes to tap into what he sees as a growing trend toward polyamory. "The new faces of the 'open relationship' lifestyle aren’t porn-hungry freaks or long-haired hippies, but rather successful, sophisticated, young professionals who do not view monogamy as an ideal," Wade writes in a message on the website.
OpenMinded aims to cater to open relationships, swingers, polyamorous people and a few slightly more confusing categories such as "ethical cheaters" and the "monogamish."
On the website, Wade explains that these categories could include configurations like "one new partner joining an established couple, or two couples spending intimate time together. More importantly, they may just be open-minded people meeting and dating others with their same attitudes."
However, Wade is firm that his website is does not encourage infidelity: “OpenMinded.com is [...] anti-cheating, creating an online arena fueled by honesty and acceptance, which is the foundation of open relationships," he says in the press release.
As for the term "ethical cheating"? Wade explained in an email that he uses the term to make a point: "While people in open relationships do not see their actions as...cheating, the public is quick to assume that those who are not monogamous in their relationships are automatically cheating. What some outsiders might see as cheating, those in open relationships see as an ethical and honest lifestyle, hence the somewhat oxymoronic term."
With the recent claim that 42% of users on Tinder are actually married or in a relationship and the existence of unofficial "couple profiles" on dating websites like OkCupid, maybe an arena like OpenMinded is exactly what the current online dating scene needs.
Since its launch, the site has signed up over 50,000 users and Wade believes there will be 70,000 by the end of this week. Membership costs $19.95 per month for couples and $4.95 per month for single women.
But can polyamorous relationships work in the long-term? What about couples with children? Wade believes they can: "Much like children [who] have been raised by gay parents, I believe children will do just as well in households where parents are practicing 'ethical cheating'. Absent of lies and betrayal, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having more than two loving adults in a child’s life," he replied via email.
As with all online dating, users will have to be discerning in order to distinguish the "ethical cheaters" from the plain old cheaters. Wade explained in an email that the site currently does not verify its users, but that opt-in features like camera verification and even criminal background checks will be available down the line.
Own The Conversation
Ask The Big Question: Will OpenMinded foster a community of open, honest polyamorous lovers or will it be a go-to resource for cheaters?Disrupt Your Feed: Perhaps a well-functioning online community of polyamorous people will open more people up to the concept itself.
Drop This Fact: OkCupid offers the option to put "Available" as your relationship status, which they claim is meant to imply "polyamorous or other non monogamous circumstances".
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Online Dating
Casual Sex
Open Relationship