California city allows throuples, foursomes to register as partners
A city in California, United States, has enacted a law permitting people in polyamorous relationships, including throuples and foursomes, to officially register their partnerships and access certain legal protections.
A throuple refers to a romantic relationship involving three people, while a foursome involves four. Both are forms of polyamory, in which individuals maintain multiple romantic relationships with the consent of everyone involved.
The West Hollywood City Council unanimously approved the ordinance on Tuesday, establishing a registry for domestic partnerships involving multiple people.
Introduced by the city’s Mayor, John Heilman, the measure allows adults in consensual relationships involving three or more people to submit a declaration to the city clerk for official registration.
According to The Washington Times, the registration provides some legal protections, including hospital visitation rights and safeguards against certain forms of eviction or termination of tenancy.
The Los Angeles Times also reported that the ordinance requires healthcare facilities and jails operating within the city’s jurisdiction to permit registered partners to visit patients or inmates, subject to existing visitor restrictions.
However, the law does not grant multi-partner relationships the same legal status or rights as marriages or domestic partnerships recognised under California state law.
Applicants must satisfy certain requirements, including obtaining the consent of all partners and ensuring that none of the individuals are related in a way that would legally prevent them from marrying under California law. They must also complete the necessary registration documents and submit them to the city clerk.
The ordinance forms part of West Hollywood’s broader efforts to protect people in non-traditional family and relationship arrangements.
In March, the city council approved a separate measure prohibiting discrimination based on family or relationship structure, including polyamorous relationships. Officials were subsequently directed to establish a registration system and develop additional protections for people living in multi-partner households.
Attorney and activist Christina Fialho, who campaigned for the protections, described the latest ordinance as an important first step.
“This law is just the beginning,” she told the Los Angeles Times, saying the measure could help people imagine possibilities they had previously considered unattainable.
West Hollywood’s move follows similar initiatives in Massachusetts, where the cities of Somerville and Cambridge began recognising multi-partner domestic relationships through local registries in 2020.
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