SSM AND POLYGAMY: Ben Bateman
Many proponents of SSM have argued that there is no slippery slope whatsoever from gay marriage to polygamy. But then a leading liberal publication like the
Village Voice prints a
story celebrating a true polygamous (polyandrous) family, and regretting that their arrangement "remains legally fragile." The discussion of polygamy is no longer an abstract debate. If this
Village Voice article is any indication, those leading the charge on SSM fully understand that once marriage is redefined to include any pairing of people, there will be no reason to leave out threesomes or larger groups.
No doubt many in the middle of the SSM debate sincerely believe that it would be possible to have SSM without polygamy. But the rank and file of those who fervently support SSM have little to say against polygamy, and now some of them openly support it. It really doesn’t matter whether we can imagine a world that permits SSM but not polygamy. In the real world, many of those who support SSM also support polygamy. If they get their way on the first issue, they will get their way on the second.
posted by Eve at
11:04 AM | link
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