Why are gay marriages legal but not polygamist ones?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Strip away all the religious hoo-ha, and marriage is a contract, pure and simple. interracial marriages were illegal in some states until 1969, when the Supreme Court ruled that banning interracial marriage violated the right of peoples to enter into contracts regardless of race. Hawaii's high court followed the same logic on gay marriages, but with regard to gender: if the state can't force men to sell their houses only to women, it shouldn' be able to force them to marry only women; the same law of contracts should apply to each.

That being said, it seems to methat polygamy could be legal, but only if the marriage was seen as the marriage of every spouse to every other spouse, rather than all the women married to one man (or vice versa). Just a though.

[The Mad Monk]

That makes sense Rufus, but just imagine a divorce...

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
That makes sense Rufus, but just imagine a divorce...

No messier than dissolving a business partnership, which is what divorce amounts to anyway. One can even imagine a polygamous situation that involvs a 'partner buy-out' of one particular member who wants out.

[Az]

My only problem with this is how does this affect society.


a social experiment, creating the conditions on a small community level would suffice, with people wishing to interact under such rules, as well as people that wouldn't mind living in such a community.

One should see the effects of this during some 20 years, and then, the results should be analysed.

[Barley]

I think the effects need to be looked at for longer than 20 years (maybe 100 or more) to see the true psycological affects through different generations.

[RGBVideo]

Why are gay marriages legal but not polygamist ones?

That would no longer be a marriage. That would be a collectivitet.

[Az]

then 40 should be enough, (two generations) while observing it on a level of a small town ( 10,000 people, or so. ). Larger numbers shouldn't change anything, IMO.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Barley
I think the words Gay and Marriage are contradictions in terms. You may shoot me down in flames (but thats your perogative) but as nature, science, religion supports the notion that men and women should whatever......... Any other combination is not right.

To the contrary, God/nature created homosexuals and gave them the power and desire to love. To refuse them the right to join together like any hetrosexual couple is an affront to the will of God & of nature.

Whats this "Gay Pride" all about? God knows what theyve got to be proud of?

They have the right to be proud of themselves as people and of their accomplishments. But I don't think that's the real reason for gay pride parades. All their lives, gay people have been hammered on, being told they're inferior, they're abominations, they're sinful. I thing the real reason for the parades is as an antidote for all this verbal poison which has been poured on them.

[yavoon]

the original big push for gay marriages was during the aids epidemic that gay ppl wanted better health care. and marriage has good health benefits. it also has other financial benefits that are desirable.

this is neither here nor there, but it is a very practical reason for wanting to be able to get married, which is basically co opting a tradition.

[chequita guevara]

Gay marriage isn't legal in any state yet. The only thing that comes remotely close is the civil union in Vermont, which is kinda like marraige lite. The Netherlands allows gay marriage, however.

[Az]

This is always a good time to post something like this. :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2852927.stm

[GePap]

I agree with Rufus about marriage being a contract..after all, for much of history, you married whom your family or clan told you to marry.

I don't think in the US Gay marriages, Polygamy, or Polyandry will be legal any time soon.

[Datajack Franit]

I do not see the difference between homosexuality, pedphillia and beastiality

Maybe you should learn both grammar and manners before posting this crap

[Inverse Icarus]

Re: Re: Why are gay marriages legal but not polygamist ones?

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


Because men and women are supposed to be equal. Therefore the one-to-one relationships.

What is your opinion regarding women with many husbands?

that would be the only fair way to impliment poligamy, where either sex could have multiple mates.

i wouldn't mind being one of several husbands to a few ladies out there. take what you can get.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Barley
Proud that they have been accepted, this just reinforces my belief that they have a type of mental illness which should be treated in some way. "Gay" people clearly need help and support. I do not see the difference between homosexuality, pedphillia and beastiality. In my opionion none of them are natural, scientifically justifiable or the will of God. Its just society has attached different levels of tollerance for each.

You're welcome to try and tell me that I am mentally ill, but I feel no compunction about telling you that you are talking out of your ass. I frankly doubt you know many, if any, gay people, so I don't see why you should think your opinion is valid here, especially when the overwhelming opinion of the medical and mental health communities is against you. Until you earn your PhD, excuse me for not taking what you say seriously.

As for the tripe that there is no difference between homosexuality, bestiality and pedophilia, I suggest you take a little bit to think about what it means to have adult consent and then get back to us.

As for homosexuality not being natural, it has been observed in every species of mammal and in several non-mammalian species. The only way to say it is not "natural" is to create a subjective definition of "natural" that excludes it. That would be circular reasoning.

And whatever the God you believe in may supposedly think about homosexuality (that you claim to know God's will is pretty amazing), it's fortunate for me and my friends that your God's will doesn't matter in the secular society in which we live. I'd hate to think what a "moderate" such as yourself would do should there be no societal restrictions on the abuse of gays.