If you are in a committed relationship with someone of a different gender but still have sex and/or romantic connections with someone of the same gender then you might be hetero-monogamous. But what does this term exactly mean? We’ve broken it down for you.

The term has been used by Nova Hawthorne, who wrote about her experiences for Metro and The Mirror, to describe her relationship with her partner of several years, James.

The couple are exclusively monogamous with each other but Nova, who is bisexual, still goes on dates and sleeps with other women, but not men. James however, who is heterosexual, does not date anyone besides Nova.

“While the technical definition of hetero-monogamy is a man and woman in an exclusive relationship, the way I’m using it is slightly different,” Nova explained.

“Essentially, a couple agrees to be monogamous with each other when it comes to people of their partner’s gender, but they remain open to sexual relationships with the other genders if one or both partners are bisexual or queer. 

“I am only in a relationship with one person – a man – but I am allowed to sleep with women. James is straight and exclusively with me. I, on the other hand, am bisexual, and so can still date and occasionally sleep with women.”

She went on to summarise the arrangement as a way of “honouring my sexuality without feeling like I have to suppress a part of myself”.

Nova said she has previously been in completely monogamous relationships with both men and women but in those relationships felt her continued attraction to other people created an “inner conflict”.

In this way, a hetero-monogamous relationship is not about “looking for loopholes” but creating a relationship which fulfils both people equally.

Nova and James’ relationship falls under the broad umbrella that makes up polyamory or ethical non-monogamy (ENM), which is loosely defined as the practice of being romantically involved with multiple, consenting partners.

Polyamory is not the same thing as polygamy – a practice where one person, typically a man, has multiple spouses often without consent. It is illegal in many countries, including the UK, the US and Canada.

Despite research finding that people in non-monogamous relationships are ‘just as happy’ as monogamous ones, poly people continued to face stigma.

Early on in their relationship, Nova admits she was nervous to talk to James about the door being open on their relationship, unsure how he would react.

But James was accepting of her needs and she described what she felt as “a huge relief”. Since those early days they have found a dynamic that works for them.

Communication is key and whilst Nova states there are no “set rules or boundaries” when she is dating women, she still lets James know what is happening.

“It’s a balance of respect and trust, and it hasn’t caused any issues between us. In fact, I think it’s brought us closer because we’ve built our relationship on mutual understanding.”

The post Could you be hetero-monogamous? This is what it means appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

An iconic Madonna song from 1992 is going viral on TikTok – but it may have a deeper meaning than listeners realise. 

The “Vogue” singer’s “Thief of Hearts” from her fifth studio album Erotica, released in tandem with her provocative coffee table book Sex, has been doing the rounds on TikTok, with creators dancing to its deep house beat. 

“Thief of Hearts”, which now has more than 3,660,100 streams on Spotify, begins with moody chords and the sound of glass breaking, before Madonna exclaims “b****”. 

The anger-filled lyrics begin: “You’re a thief of hearts and now you’ll have to pay / How many licks does it take?/ You’re a thief of hearts and now you’ll have to pay /Which leg do you want me to break / You’ll be sorry.” 

Erotica was created, with the help of “Vogue” producer Shep Pettibone and “Justify My Love” producer André Betts, to push boundaries and liberate Madonna’s creativity as well as sexuality. 

The song calls out the “thief of hearts”, described by Madonna in the song as “Little Miss Thinks She Can Have What She Wants”, “Little Miss Black Widow”, and “Little Susie Ho-Maker”. 

In the lyrics, Madonna explains that the thief, who acted like her best friend, stole her boyfriend – a “crime” she says in the song deserves an arrest. 

The viral TikToks focus on the catchy bridge, but speculation around the rumoured subject is deeper than many may have thought. 

@jakekilcourse

Get me in a club in the 90s rn DC:#thiefofhearts @madonna

♬ original sound – Milesmoo17

As per TikToker Carlo De Santis (@thedivawhisperer), fans of the queen of pop have long speculated that “Thief of Hearts” is about American Beauty actress Annette Bening. 

Santis explained in a TikTok: “The song is about a man-stealer, essentially, and in 1992, when Erotica was released, Madonna had broken up with Warren Beatty, and he got together with Annette [after] filming Bugsy together.” 

Maddona was in a highly publicised relationship with Beatty throughout 1990, following their work on Dick Tracy. 

However, Bening gave birth to Beatty’s first child, Stephen, in January 1992, meaning they conceived their son the year before. Stephen shared that he’s a trans man in 2012. 

De Santis highlighted that there appeared to be a “quick turnaround”, made more obvious by how “scorned” Madonna sounds on the track.

De Santis’ take fits the lyrics of the song, which include: “Here she comes / Little Miss Thinks She Can Have His Child / Well, anybody can do it.” 

He highlighted that Madonna has “never confirmed” if the song is about Bening and Beatty, adding: “A lot of fans think it’s about Robin Wright and Sean Penn. But because Madonna and Sean got divorced, I felt like Robin didn’t steal him from her.”

Time will tell whether Madonna will perform the song at future concerts. 

@thedivawhisperer

Madonna’s Thief of Hearts from 1992 is blowing up on streaming…here’s what fans think it’s about #madonna #thiefofhearts #1992 #celebritygossip

♬ original sound – Carlo De Santis

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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The 25th Winter Olympics are almost here and the sporting event will see 2,871 athletes from 92 nations compete across 116 events – here’s everything you need to know.

Following the success of hockey romance Heated Rivalry, people might be a little more interested in the world of winter sport than they were previously…

Outsports has actually identified that this year there are a record number of out LGBTQ Olympians set to compete at the Winter Games, with 44 queer athletes from multiple countries taking part.

A real-life Heated Rivalry is set to take place at the Games, with married skeleton sliders Kim Meylemans and Nicole Silveira set to face off against each other.

Meylemans represents Belgium while Silveira represents Brazil, with the pair saying ahead of the competition: “It feels extra special to potentially compete as a married couple.”

Where are the 2026 Winter Olympics?

The 2026 Winter Olympics is known as Milano Cortina 2026 for a reason and will be held across northern Italy between February 6 and 22.

Interestingly, according to ESPN, it is actually the first Olympics to be officially co-hosted by more than one city.

The iconic city of Milan, best known as a central hub for fashion, design, art and culture, will host several sporting events including figure skating, ice hockey and speed skating.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, a town in the heart of Alps, is considerably smaller than Milan and will be where the bobsled, skeleton, luge, alpine skiing and curling will all take place.

Valtellina, Val di Fiemme and Verona will also host various sporting events during the course of the Games.

The opening ceremony will take place at the San Siro Stadium, located in Milan’s San Siro district, which has a 75,817 capacity and is the largest stadium in Italy, as well as one of the biggest in Europe.

It is anticipated to feature more than 1,300 performers, with appearances from music legends like Mariah Carey and Andrea Bocelli.

How to watch in the UK

In the UK, subscribers of TNT Sport and Discovery+ can watch the full 2026 Winter Olympics, with more than 850 hours of coverage across all the sports.

The BBC will also have coverage of all the major events from 9am to 10pm each day of the Games.

How to watch in the US

Olympics fans in the US can watch the Games televised exclusively on NBC, as well as on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.

The post Where are the 2026 Winter Olympics and how can you watch? appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

A new review of studies around trans athletes has suggested that trans women may not have any fitness advantage in sports.

The findings of the review note that transgender women exhibit strength and fitness levels similar to cisgender women after undergoing months of hormone replacement therapy.

The review involved scientists in Brazil collating and analysing findings from around 50 studies involving a total of 6,485 people, including 2,943 trans women, 2,309 trans men, 568 cis women and 665 cis men, all between the ages of 14 and 41.

READ MORE: Six myths about trans athletes, debunked

The findings also suggested that, despite having larger muscle mass than cis women after one to three years of HRT, trans women had a lot more fat than cis men.

There were also no observable differences in upper or lower body strength between trans and cis women, nor in their maximal oxygen consumption, which is a key fitness indicator.

The scientists that carried out the study wrote: “Continued research into physiological as well as psychosocial trajectories among transgender athletes with diverse demographics and clinical characteristics remains essential for developing equitable frameworks that balance justice, inclusion and scientific rigour.”

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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