Relationship Anarchy 101

the practice of forming relationships outside of a hierarchical structure that prioritizes romantic&sexual relationships over all others. in other words, all factors of a relationship (the time spent, intimacy, contact, etc) are determined by the needs and wants of the people in the dynamic, not by the cultural assumptions about the KIND of relationship it is. further, many relationship anarchists believe that all kinds of relationships have value, even (or perhaps especially) if they are unique, casual, or unconventional.

romantic friendship : friends who experience romantic feelings for each other. they may or may not do romantic activities together (and 'romantic activities' is defined by the people involved). there may or may not be a sexual component to this dynamic.

partners who don't live together : romantic partners who choose not to co-habitate for some or all of their relationship. partners may live with other partners, friends, family, or on their own. slightly different but similar might be partners who have separate bedrooms or spaces in a shared house.

co-parents who aren't romantically or sexually involved : people who choose to raise children (or animals) together without being romantically or sexually partnered. they could be married for legal reasons/custody or not.

best friends who are life partners : when people orient their lives around certain relationships, sometimes they are called life partners. friends can be the people we move states to be with, spend the majority of our time with, or are our main attachment connection.

comets (or once in a while lovers) : a comet is a lover or partner who comes into one's life periodically. they may live in another state and connect when they are passing through, or be someone who is very busy except for the occasional hangout. even though we may not see them often, these partners and lovers can be deeply important and meaningful connections

chosen family : chosen family are the people we choose to love, support, and nourish in our lives. they can be blood family, but it doesn't matter how we are genetically related to them. chosen family is often especially important for queer people and/or other folks who have been estranged from family for any number of reasons, but anyone can create a chosen family!