Īccording to today's stereotype, earlier middle-class Americans wanted the home to be a place of stability in an uncertain world. Later, a new theme developed, linking free love with radical social change, and depicting it as a harbinger of a new anti-authoritarian, anti-repressive sensibility.
In the Victorian era, this was a radical notion. In addition, some free love writing has argued that both men and women have the right to sexual pleasure without social or legal restraints. According to this concept, the free unions of adults (or persons at or above the age of consent) are legitimate relations which should be respected by all third parties whether they are emotional or sexual relations. Much of the free love tradition reflects a liberal philosophy that seeks freedom from state regulation and church interference in personal relationships.
