Sexual partners are people who engage in sexual activity together. The sexual partners can be of any number, sex, gender, or sexual orientation. The sexual partners may be in a committed relationship, either on an exclusive basis or not, or engage in the sexual activity on a casual basis. They may be on intimate terms (in which case they are often referred to as "lovers") or anonymous,[1] as in the case of sex with a stranger, a one-night stand, or a prostitute. A person can be another person's sexual partner even if the sexual activity is illegal, socially taboo, or otherwise in breach of a trust or commitment. A person may have more than one sexual partner at any one time, either as polyamory, polygamy or in contravention of convention.
Relationships (Outline) |
---|
Endings |
The term sexual partner is usually applied to consensual sexual relations, not to those that are forced or result from duress, as in the case of rape.
A sexual partner may or may not have equal power during a sexual activity; such sexual "roles" (which can sometimes be determined by personality type but can also be determined by a conscious choice by the individual to "assume" a particular "role") typically fall under various dominance/submission (D/s) categories.
Terminology
Generally, a sexual partner is one with whom one engages in a sexual activity on a regular or ongoing basis.
An ex-sexual partner is a person with whom the other partner does not intend to engage in any further sexual activity; while a prospective sexual partner is one with whom the person has not previously engaged in any sexual activity ,but desires.