Legalizing it could empower women
I’ve always been a polygamist. I never could date just one person. It’s not because I was a player. The most misunderstood thing about polygamy is that it’s just about the sex. Sure, that’s part of it. But it’s also about family. And that’s what my two wives and our eight children are to me.
I recently filed a federal lawsuit to legalize polygamy in Montana. As far as my second wife and I are concerned, we’re married. But changing the law would afford her legal recognition and protection.
Legalizing polygamy actually empowers women. Right now, polygamist men can take wives in name only and discard them without consequence. That’s why you see abuse in the polygamy culture. If such relationships were legally binding, all spouses would be protected and have an equitable stake in the common property.
There would also be a benefit to the state. Currently, some polygamists abuse the system by putting their additional wives on welfare. States only recognize one spouse in marriage, therefore making “single mothers” out of subsequent wives. Legalizing polygamy would also help neutralize some of the social stigma. People tend to confuse legality with morality. Same-sex marriage was illegal in many states until this summer. Interracial marriage used to be illegal. The laws only changed because people stepped forward.
Monogamy is natural to many. Polygamy is just more natural to us, and I’m fighting for our rights as a family.
Collier recently filed a federal lawsuit to strike down Montana’s bigamy lawsuit
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