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

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?

Hot Take: Many critics of Ethical Non-Monogamy call it “cheating with permission.” Full stop: it’s not. “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 excuse.

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