No, “Sister Wives” family, polygamy is not the new marriage equality fight
Reality show guest stars apply for a marriage license in Montana, the right-wing "slippery slope" freakout begins
Mary Elizabeth Williams FollowTopics: Sister Wives, Marriage equality, Polygamy, Supreme Court, Nathan Collier, Life News, Entertainment News
Well, conservatives, here it is, just as you predicted. Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria. It’s been less than one week since the Supreme Court’s historic ruling for marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges — a ruling in which Chief Justice John Roberts dryly dissented, “I do not mean to equate marriage between same-sex couples with plural marriages in all respects. There may well be relevant differences that compel different legal analysis. But if there are, petitioners have not pointed to any.” Less than a week since the the fully expected right wing warnings that “There is absolutely no legal argument against polygamy now.” And on cue, here comes Nathan Collier — a man who describes himself on Facebook as “an American, conservative, Constitutionalist, capitalist, (formerly) Christian, heterosexual middle aged white male of Southern heritage” — and his lovely two brides Victoria and Christine, asking for official recognition of their union. Coming soon: Cat ladies applying for marriage licenses!
The Colliers applied for their license on Tuesday at the Yellowstone County Courthouse in Billings, Montana. Mr. Collier told the Associated Press, “It’s about marriage equality. You can’t have this without polygamy.” The AP reports that county clerk officials denied the application, but “said they would consult with the county attorney’s office before giving him a final answer.” Collier, who says he was excommunicated from the Mormon church, married his wife Victoria in 2000, and had a “religious wedding ceremony” with Christine in 2007. He claims “he and his wives hid their relationship for years” but now, “My second wife Christine, who I’m not legally married to, she’s put up with my crap for a lot of years. She deserves legitimacy.” Naturally, the conservative narrative that has to follow this is: Look what you’ve done, gays. This is why we can’t have nice things!
The Christian Examiner was swift to report that “Religious conservatives argued same-sex marriage would open the flood gates to other types of marriage in the United States, and now it appears the coming torrent is beginning to flow.” And Newsmax leapt in with the observations that “Opponents of same-sex marriage have said the ruling will lead to calls for legalized polygamous marriages, or even polyamorous ones, which involves multiple people all married to each other.”
You Might Also Like
Collier says that “We just want to add legal legitimacy to an already happy, strong, loving family.” And while I am not personally down with the concept of having multiple wives, I get that it does have a certain Biblical precedent, if that’s your guidepost. But it can’t be ignored that the Bible is, believe it or not, still not the template for our Constitutional rights. Nor can it be ignored that the Colliers, in addition to being a “happy, strong, loving family” are also aspiring reality stars. In Mr. Collier’s very limited Twitter feed for his @PolyFam account, he says that “We are indeed interested in telling our story to create more awareness and are thankful for the opportunity.” Earlier this year, the group appeared on the TLC reality show “Sister Wives,” where they revealed “they are hoping to welcome a new wife into their family, and she’s the best friend of one of the current wives.”
If you want to argue that polygamy and marriage equality are the same thing, well, they’re not. If you want respect for how consenting adults arrange their households, though, you’ve got it. That does not however mean that because one group that has fought for friggin’ decades for basic recognition and respect finally has achieved something, that every fringe group — and yeah, sister wife families, you are fringe — gets a piece of the action too. And if you’re looking for evidence that America is now going all polygamy, all the time, I’d question whether one family that had a brief recent moment on cable TV is really going to build your case.
You Might Also Like
More Related Stories
-
The high school musical that might have saved me: Watching a high school production of "A Chorus Line" in middle age showed me how much I missed
-
The Chinese home I never knew
-
After spending 2 years in solitude, I know something about loneliness. So why is New Year's still so rough?
-
New Year's is a bad day to quit sniffing glue -- or anything else: Make those resolutions, sure, but don't dream of starting today
-
You'll never drink again: Sex, race, science and the real story of Prohibition
-
Happy new year! Wait, really -- why do we celebrate it on January 1?
-
Make this your Facebook resolution: The best thing you can do to safeguard your privacy in 2016
-
#blessed? Not a good look. Your 2016 resolution is to ban these "basic" phrases
-
An Oregon teacher’s letter to lawmakers: We don’t need your prayers, we need your courage
-
What nobody told me about small farming: I can't make a living
-
I have given away my guns: I'm a Texan and a hunter, but I won't be part of gun culture any more
-
"What a horrible mother": How a call from a "good samaritan" derailed these mothers' lives
-
I'm tired of suppressing myself to get along with white people
-
Why observing "Dry January" might help you cut back on drinking down the line
-
Netflix's last great gift of 2015: A New Year's Eve for earlybirds
-
5 worst social media fails by politicians this year
-
"In this book, Jennifer Aniston learns that not wanting a baby when you’re female means something’s wrong with you"
-
"It’s just karma" -- Cosby's accusers speak out
-
American privilege in Taiwan: I lied to my Taiwanese students and told them I didn't speak Chinese. Here's how it backfired
-
Now you seafood, now you don't: 10 foods climate change could soon eradicate
-
"I should be among the dead": Young, white, and economically advantaged, I was hungry for meaning and found heroin instead
Featured Slide Shows
- Share on Twitter
- Share on Facebook
- 1 of 13
- Close
- Fullscreen
- Thumbnails
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
- Previous
- Next
-
Recent Slide Shows
-
Blood moon magic: 17 amazing images of the supermoon around the world
-
"Dick Cheney watches television": The four previously unseen 9/11 photos that will make you hate the evil VP all over again
-
Heartbreaking images from Sandra Bland's funeral
-
Must-see photos: Never-before seen images inside the White House on September 11
-
The best series finales ever
-
When marriage is an act of political protest
-
Photos from the Happy Ending Salon
-
Make Summer More Poetic with These 10 International Works
Related Videos
Comments
Loading Comments...
Most Read
From Around the Web
Presented by Zergnet
-
How the Grinch gave Universal Studios Hollywood a Christmas to call its own
-
A Special Conversation with Natalie Cole: Lessons on Life, Love and Loss
-
Natalie Cole Fought the Battle of Having a Famous Father, And She Won
-
Carrie Fisher Leads an Older, Wiser Revolution
-
Former 'Cosby Show' Star Keshia Knight Pulliam Engaged
-
Do one thing a day in the first week of 2016 to be a better person environmentally.
-
5 things you can do to catch up if you overspent on the holidays.
-
Meet the student fighting for his country's native language. He's great.
-
France figured out how to make its grocery stores feed even more people.
-
Bad weeks don't seem so rough when you apply this perspective to life. Here's how.




