Is Polyamory Going to Be the Next Big Thing?
Polyamory, once thought of as a relationship with a plus one among bohemian elites, is now becoming more popular, more acceptable, and could be coming to a legislature near you.
You know something is trending when even The Onion is doing pop comedy pieces on polyamory because it is becoming for visible and discussed.
A recent article in The Economist was titled: Polyamory is getting slivers of legal recognition in America: Searching for rights in a monogamous world.
Don’t write this off as a blip and personal interest story. There are various polyamory associations and rights groups around the world. Also, consider this:
Utah has decriminalized polygamy.
The city council of Somerville, Massachusetts voted on legal protections for multi-partner relationships.
Note this, you can be in a de jure marriage to your spouse while you are in a de facto marriage with someone else (i.e. you leave your spouse for someone else). This kind of sets a precedent for multi-partner marriages.
Also, in some circumstances, a person in a polygamous marriage in one country is able to immigrate to another country with his wives even though bigamy and polygamy are outlawed in the new country. And - get this - both wives can get social security benefits!
According to an LGBTIQ+ advocacy lawyer, Alexander Chen: “While polyamorous relationships come in a wide variety of forms, at their core is the idea that people should be able to choose how they shape their families, including how many consenting adults they wish to be included.”
Think about it, if “love is love” is the only requirement for marriage, as it was for same-sex marriages, then polyamorous marriage is a slam dunk, right?
Maybe … maybe not!
What is the case for and against polyamorous marriages?