ABSTRACT
In current sociological theory there is a tendency to present same-sex relationships as in principle egalitarian. If queers are stylised as the forerunners of an advanced culture of choice and egalitarianism, the multi-faceted and complex nature of power relations moves out of focus. This undermines the intelligibility of power relations around race/ethnicity, class, age, disability, gender and sexuality. This chapter explores how research participants talked about conflicts with their partners on non-monogamy. Differential social positioning in terms of class, race/ethnicity, gender, age and dis/ability may result in unequal power between partners when they are negotiating questions around non-monogamy. The chapter illustrates with some examples, how different aspects of an individuals social positioning can be read as a dimension of social capital, which ultimately impacts on this persons ability to successfully negotiate non-monogamy in a relationship. Differential social positioning affects the negotiation of non-monogamy in cases of inter-partner disagreement or conflict and may result in differential relationship defining power.
