Autonomy

your right to run your own life and relationships and to have real say in what happens to you, without needing permission. much of modern non-monogamy rests on it: you can make agreements with partners while still being the one who decides about your own body, time, and connections. it comes up most around newer or "secondary" partners, does this person have genuine say, or are the terms set for them by others? watching for who has autonomy and who doesn't is one of the clearest ways to tell a fair arrangement from a lopsided one.