Celebrating OPEN’s First Year
This Friday, March 31, marks OPEN’s one year anniversary. We couldn’t be more excited to celebrated the progress we’ve made in over the past year. In just 12 short months, we've laid a strong organizational foundation, established our place within the non-monogamy sector, and launched several programs that hold the promise of significant impact.
At the start, we emphasized building a strong organizational foundation in order to ensure stability and longevity. We established a tax-exempt organization and robust digital infrastructure to house our communications, campaigns, and fundraising efforts. We convened and then expanded a diverse board of directors including community leaders, founders, content creators, and respected advocates. We articulated our organizational value as a North Star for our decision making. Recognizing that movements are a collective effort, we have built relationships with leaders from across the sector, from podcasts hosts to community leaders to other advocacy organizations.
Building upon this strong foundation, we have launched programs and published resources to further our mission to normalize and empower ethical non-monogamy. Here are some of the programs and initiatives we have introduced and are working to expand:
Legislative Advocacy: Just last week, OPEN was part of a coalition that helped to pass the first non-discrimination legislation for non-monogamous families and individuals in the US. We’re also working with city councilors in multiple other cities to pass identical legislation. Want to get the ball rolling in your city? Fill out this form to get started!
Open Workplaces: In parallel with our legislative strategy, we are working with non-monogamous professionals and company leaders to implement non-discrimination hiring and employment policies at private companies. Join the Discord to get involved!
Facebook Limits Love: One of our very first campaigns was this open letter and petition asking Facebook to fix its “Relationship Status” feature, which marginalizes non-monogamous individuals by limiting users to just one relationship and tagged partner. The campaign was covered in the New York Times, bringing additional visibility to the non-monogamy movement. While we haven’t yet achieved concessions from Facebook, we’re continuing to advocate for a more inclusive “Relationship Status” feature.
Community Survey: In our 2022 Community Survey, we collected responses from over 500 non-monogamous individuals about their identities, experiences of stigma and discrimination, and how OPEN can serve their needs. Read the 2022 report – 2023 Community Survey coming soon!
Resources & Events: We published resources and hosted events intended to help build a stronger and more inclusive movement. Our Non-Monogamy Mixers Guide is a resource to help people start and grow in-person social meetups. Our Non-Monogamy Fact Sheet offers a comprehensive, sourced guide to help content creators, journalists, and more understand our experiences and issues. This winter, we co-hosted a webinar on Anti-Racism in Sex Positive Spaces.
As we look ahead to OPEN’s second year, prospects are bright! We’re working with grassroots leaders and elected officials in multiple cities to pass additional non-discrimination protections, and are collaborating with professionals and company leaders to make workplaces safe for people to be open about their non-monogamous identities. We have begun planning a Non-monogamy Day of Visibility for this summer to help showcase the diversity, vibrancy, and . We’re continuing to build relationships with advocates, organizers, and community leaders from across the non-monogamy movement, from polyamory to the swinger lifestyle and everything in between. To help create a stronger movement, we’re developing new resources and educational content. We’re working to bring more fiscal resources into the movement and scale our capacity to make change, while staying responsive and accountable to the movement we serve.
None of this would be possible without the support of our community of supporters, advisors, strategic partners, and beyond. Thank you for being part of OPEN’s story! We're excited to continue growing and making change in the year and years ahead. Here's to the more open and loving world that we’re building together!
Want to help support our work? Set up a recurring, monthly contribution or make a one-time donation to help us achieve our impact goals! Share OPEN with your non-monogamous community, and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also write to us anytime at <info@open-love.org> or use our anonymous feedback form.
On behalf of the OPEN team,
Brett Chamberlin, Executive Director
