Reply #6: I call mine my girlfriend to just about everyone [View All]

[RumpusCat]

But we're young and have been dating for just under a year, no commitment ceremonies or living together. If we were to get more serious I'd have to think about it--would I call her my wife? Seems nice and homey, but a little fake unless we can actually get a marriage license. Partner? Maybe in a situation where I'm trying to explain our relationship to someone in a professional setting, like a doctor or a new business aquaintance, but it seems a bit dry for general use. Lover is nice but a bit off-putting to people who don't need that visual, lol. I have no idea! I definitely think that were we to be living together/partnered it'd be a bit juvenile to keep calling her my girlfriend.

I have a related GLBT question: can we be engaged? Fiance is gender-neutral but do GLBT people 'get' an engaged stage? When does it end? I've always wondered.