Lawyer says polygamy is ‘next logical step’ after US Supreme Court redefines marriage

Throughout our campaign in England and Wales, C4M highlighted the potential dangerous consequences of redefining marriage. One of these included the very real threat that polygamy or ‘group marriage’ would be the next battle ground.

Less than two weeks after the US Supreme Court voted to impose same-sex marriage on every state, there are already calls for polygamy to be introduced.

Andy Izenson, an attorney who campaigns on gender and sexuality, told Huffington Post that the same legal reasoning from the ruling could be extended to polygamous marriages, if they are consensual.

He claims that “the logic is sound”, as long as “you’ve got a consensual union between adults who know what they’re doing”.

And a man in Montana, inspired by the recent ruling, has already applied for a licence to legally have two wives.

Nathan Collier, who has appeared in a reality TV show about a polygamist family, is already legally married to one woman and had a religious ceremony to marry a second woman in 2007.

He says he wants his second ‘wife’ to have the same legal rights and protections as his first.

Officials initially rejected Collier’s application, but then said they would consult with the county legal officer before making a final decision.

Collier said he particularly noted the dissenting opinion of Chief Justice Roberts, who questioned whether the US Supreme Court’s ruling opened the way for state-backed polygamy.

Roberts wrote, “from the standpoint of history and tradition, a leap from opposite-sex marriage to same-sex marriage is much greater than one from a two-person union to plural unions”.

“If the majority is willing to take the big leap, it is hard to see how it can say no to the shorter one”.

Politicians at Westminster ought to take note of the chaos ensuing across the pond, and ensure that group marriage does not become a reality in Great Britain.