US city allows throuples, foursomes to register as partners

A California city has enacted a new ordinance enabling individuals in polyamorous relationships, such as throuples and foursomes, to formally register their partnerships and gain specific legal safeguards. Throuples, involving three adults, and foursomes, comprising four, are classified as polyamorous arrangements where all parties consent to multiple romantic connections.

West Hollywood's City Council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance on Tuesday, establishing a registry for multi-partner domestic relationships, a move proposed by Mayor John Heilman. To qualify, applicants must demonstrate mutual consent and lack of familial relationships that would prohibit marriage under California law. The registry grants registered partners hospital visitation rights, protections against certain forms of eviction or tenancy termination, and permits healthcare facilities and jails to allow visits by registered partners, provided the city's visitor regulations are adhered to.

However, the law does not grant multi-partner relationships the same legal status as married couples or domestic partners recognized under California state law. This ordinance is part of West Hollywood's broader initiative to extend protections to people in non-traditional family and relationship structures, following a similar measure prohibiting discrimination based on family or relationship structure that was passed in March.

Activist and attorney Christina Fialho, who supported the protections, emphasized that the ordinance marks an important beginning, signaling a future once considered unattainable. West Hollywood's decision echoes similar measures in Massachusetts, where Somerville and Cambridge began recognizing multi-partner domestic relationships through local registries in 2020.