Poly Campaign Button :)

Al99

Well-known member
Saw this on my local poly FB feed...
 

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The pin says "Legalize Poly".

But, overall, being polyamorous is perfectly legal. (Except with regard to marriage.)

What's happening regards polyamory is that it's culturally and socially taboo in most places. Are there places where it is outright illegal? It's not illegal in the USA. But it can get you in trouble with family, friends, co-workers, employers -- and the military if you are in "the service" (where it is in some sense "illegal").

As I understand it, most practitioners of polyamory are deep in the closet -- which puts them / us in a very similar situation as gays back prior to Stonewall. But there is a major difference which gives polyamorous folk a tremendous advantage in coming out, as contrasted with pre-Stonewall gays. For pre-Stonewall gays, the practice of their orientation was illegal as well as taboo. You could be ostracised, shunned and humiliated -- or beaten (or worse), albeit illegally -- for being gay in those days, but you'd not be handcuffed by the cops and taken to jail. You were not at risk for jail or prison time.

It is way past time for all of us poly folk to step out of our closets. Visibility is strength.
 
The pin says "Legalize Poly".

But, overall, being polyamorous is perfectly legal. (Except with regard to marriage.)

The post was only meant to be good for a chuckle :) - however, you make some good points in your post. The main legality, as you noted, would primarily relate to marriage - and, by extension, child custody etc. Legal civil unions of "more than two" are not here yet. And there are some still regulations out there about housing rentals as well that have to considered - or at least side-skirted.

Also - just to consider - poly is not a protected class - government child care agencies cannot discriminate against gay couples, for example, in child placement - but they definitely can discriminate against a polyamorous arrangement - especially in conservative areas - and most likely would. Al
 
The pin says "Legalize Poly".

But, overall, being polyamorous is perfectly legal. (Except with regard to marriage.)

What's happening regards polyamory is that it's culturally and socially taboo in most places. Are there places where it is outright illegal? It's not illegal in the USA. But it can get you in trouble with family, friends, co-workers, employers -- and the military if you are in "the service" (where it is in some sense "illegal").

As I understand it, most practitioners of polyamory are deep in the closet -- which puts them / us in a very similar situation as gays back prior to Stonewall. But there is a major difference which gives polyamorous folk a tremendous advantage in coming out, as contrasted with pre-Stonewall gays. For pre-Stonewall gays, the practice of their orientation was illegal as well as taboo. You could be ostracised, shunned and humiliated -- or beaten (or worse), albeit illegally -- for being gay in those days, but you'd not be handcuffed by the cops and taken to jail. You were not at risk for jail or prison time.

It is way past time for all of us poly folk to step out of our closets. Visibility is strength.

Many states still have laws on the books that prohibit adultery, cohabitation with more than one partner, etc. So, in some ways, poly is very much illegal in parts of the usa for many people.
 
Hmm. I hadn't considered adultery as a legal question. I thought that was a matter for the churches -- unless it involves a divorce case.

But it is a legal matter, though rarely an enforced one, in some states.

https://www.freep.com/story/life/fa...-is-cheating-on-your-spouse-illegal/28936155/

Is there a good, solid, up-to-date, comprehensive source on the web for information on legal matters concerning poly folk? Are there legal advocacy organizations for poly folk?
 
Is there a good, solid, up-to-date, comprehensive source on the web for information on legal matters concerning poly folk? Are there legal advocacy organizations for poly folk?

Not quite up-to-the-minute but Jason Cherry's Non-monogamous Discourse covers each state in the US in his 2011/2012 Archives.
 
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