Polygamy groups ‘thankful’ for gay marriage decisions, likely to follow efforts in Canada seeking equal rights

The movement to legalize multi-partner marriage got a huge boost with this week’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that the federal government must give benefits to same-sex married partners, according to advocates of polygamy.

“We polyamorists are grateful to our brothers and sisters for blazing the marriage equality trail,” Anita Wagner Illig told U.S. News and World Report.

Polygamy logo by Akrabbim via wikimedia commons

She works as an educator, activist and writer of a blog called Practical Polyamory.

“I would absolutely want to seek multi-partner marriage — it would eliminate a common challenge polyamorists face when two are legally married and others in their group relationships aren’t part of that marriage,” she said.

She, like many critics of gay marriage, argued it’s a matter of equality – the concept cited by the U.S. court in its decision.

“A favorable outcome for marriage equality is a favorable outcome for multi-partner marriage, because the opposition cannot argue lack of precedent for legalizing marriage for other forms of non-traditional relationships,” she said.

“If it was decriminalized, and you gave women and men the choice, you would create a much more healthy environment for both the community itself but also for the people living it,” Elisa Wall told FOX 13. “Because people could come in and out if they chose to. More than anything, my personal belief is that creating that foundation for a healthy polygamous lifestyle is the only way we’re going to impact the youth. It’s the only way we’re going to protect them.”

Wall spoke in the interview discussing the movement that some of those who still live — and believe — in the principle of plural marriage insist decriminalization would allow people to freely report potential abuse without fear of the entire family being prosecuted.

Polyamorists in Canada, which is ahead of the United States by several years in expanding the definition of marriage, are demanding formal recognition.

The Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association said this month it wants to see polyamoras relationships treated on the same legal footing as others.

From Chicago Now:

If polygamy were once again declared legal, think of the extended family support that it would provide to single women and children who cannot find either a member of the opposite sex or same sex to enter into a loving union with them.

Here are 5 good reasons to reinstate polygamy:

1. Provide food and shelter by private means

2. Allow the terminally single, men and women, to have some sort of lasting  and legal union with benefits, no matter if not complete and whole.

3. To provide for the care of children, which can supplement the government’s burden.

4. To form close-knit and protective communities.

5. To provide for the sexual variety that many psychologists  claim necessary to keep a marriage alive.

Fair is fair, and the time is now.