Stepping Up

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

And so it begins:

Kody Brown is a proud polygamist, and a relatively famous one. Now Mr. Brown, his four wives and 16 children and stepchildren are going to court to keep from being punished for it.

The family is the focus of a reality TV show, “Sister Wives,” that first appeared in 2010. Law enforcement officials in the Browns’ home state, Utah, announced soon after the show began that the family was under investigation for violating the state law prohibiting polygamy.

On Wednesday, the Browns are expected to file a lawsuit to challenge the polygamy law.

The lawsuit is not demanding that states recognize polygamous marriage. Instead, the lawsuit builds on a 2003 United States Supreme Court decision, Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down state sodomy laws as unconstitutional intrusions on the “intimate conduct” of consenting adults.

I'm in favor of gay marriage for the same reason I'm in favor of legal polygamy, legalized adult incest, and all the rest - the state really shouldn't be telling anyone else who they can and cannot be in a recognized relationship with, full stop. Unfortunately, I've found that many who agree with gay marriage do not feel the same way about these other types of adult relationships.

Why is it that "equal marriage" only exists for many when it deals with their idea of reality? Should hardcore advocates of gay marriage be lining up behind the Brown family in solidarity and support of their situation? If you believe the US Constitution allows for, if not outright mandates, gay marriage, do you feel the same way here?

Comments

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

The argument was used for a Canadian court case against a polygamous sect in Bountiful, BC.

the court heard from numerous experts who predicted multiple marriage will always lead to societies that control women, marry off young girls to older husbands and cast off young men. Most of those problems, the experts testified, were rooted in the limited supply of potential wives — even if only a small portion of a society practises polygamy.
http://religiouschildabuse.blogspot.com/2011/03/religious-practice-not-above-law.html

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

Surely there's other avenues to protect women in those situations though. Also, the law doesn't stop the practice of polygamy, just the contract side of marriage. By this reasoning we should be seeing these problems in our society already. As I've mentioned, I haven't seen polygamous relationships be any worse on women than monogamous ones, but then I don't know any religious polygamists.

[rasilio.livejournal.com]

The argument is false...

""Polygamy" is more often used to refer to codified forms of multiple marriage (especially those with a traditional/religious basis), while "modern polyamory" or "egalitarian polyamory" implies a relationship defined by negotiation between its members, rather than by cultural norms. Egalitarian polyamory is culturally rooted in such concepts as choice and individuality, rather than in religious traditions.
Egalitarian polyamory is more closely associated with values, subcultures and ideologies that favor individual freedoms and equality in sexual matters – most notably, those reflected by sexual freedom advocacy groups such as Woodhull Freedom Foundation & Federation, NCSF and ACLU.[21] However, polygamy advocacy groups and activists and egalitarian polyamory advocacy groups and activists can and do work together cooperatively. In addition, the two sub-communities have many common issues (poly parenting, dealing with jealousy, legal and social discrimination, etc.), the discussion and resolution of which are of equal interest to both sub-communities, regardless of any cultural differences that may exist. Moreover, there is considerable cultural diversity within both sub-communities. Religiously motivated polygamy has its Islamic, Mormon fundamentalist, Christian Plural Marriage, Jewish[22] and other varieties; similarly, some egalitarian polyamorists have cultural ties to Naturism, Neo-Pagans,[23] BDSM, Modern Tantra,[24] and other special interest groups. For example, egalitarian polyamory and BDSM often face similar challenges (e.g. negotiating the ground rules for unconventional relationships, or the question of coming out to family and friends), and the cross-pollination of ideas takes place between the two.[25]"


It is not the plural marriage that leads to the control of women, it is the patriarchal religious context that leads to it regardless of how many partners are allowed in the marriage.

[majortom-thecat.livejournal.com]

Most of those problems, the experts testified, were rooted in the limited supply of potential wives

This could also be used as an argument against monogamous marriage in areas where there is a high ratio of men to women, but the subjugation of women as a commodity in limited supply wouldn't play out there either.

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

Imbalances in birth ratios have been noted in some countries, e.g. China, and some specific communities in other parts of the world, where gender selection has become an option. I think it's too early to predict the impact on the treatment of women.
Still, closer examination of the argument raises some interesting questions. For example, it seems that the government is attempting to balance out supply and demand for wives. This is flagrant interference in the free market. Plus, it's a bit weird. Also, the argument makes assumptions about how polygamy will affect the values that society will adopt in the future. Shouldn't the government respect the will of the people in this time frame? It's something to think about.

[majortom-thecat.livejournal.com]

Assuming that wives are a commodity on the "free market"...

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

In some cultures, women may be pressured or forced into marriage. I can't really comment about that. In my own culture, women are not commodities; they are active participants in the process.
Women put themselves on the marriage market or decline to take part. They evaluate offers of marriage and accept the one that maximizes the net present value of the utility they expect to derive from the proposal. If market clearing conditions do not exist, they do not proceed.