ENM Newswire

Is It ENM or Just Permission to Cheat?

Relationship coach Julie Nguyen explores a question many couples face when considering opening their relationship: Is my partner truly non-monogamous, or are they just looking for permission to cheat?

Harper J. Lincoln, Editor

25 Oct 2025 — 1 min read

When consent is missing, the label doesn’t matter.

Source: Verywell Mind · Published 10 June 2025

Summary: Relationship coach Julie Nguyen explores a question many couples face when considering opening their relationship: Is my partner truly non-monogamous, or are they just looking for permission to cheat?

Why This Matters: Many critics of Ethical Non-Monogamy call it “cheating with permission.” Full stop: it’s not.

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“In both monogamous and non-monogamous relationships, cheating happens when a covenant is broken without consent and discussion. Whatever the betrayal was, the partner was unaware.”
- Relationship Coach Julie Nguyen

“In both monogamous and non-monogamous relationships, cheating happens when a covenant is broken without consent and discussion,” Nguyen writes. “Whatever the betrayal was, the partner was unaware.”

… and that’s the line between ethics and excuses.

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