Imagine that you are a state legislator and that you are required to vote on a bill

legalizing civil unions for same-sex partners. How would you vote? What explanation
would you give to your constituents when asked to defend your vote? A month later you
are asked to vote on a bill legalizing polygamy. How would you vote? What explanation
would you give to your constituents when asked to defend your vote?
Polygamy and Civil Unions
100 years ago the definition of marriage was the legal union of a man and a woman, as
husband and wife, but today that has changed. Today marriage is known as a legal recognized
union between two people, (Strong & Cohen, 2014, p.6) Although it does say that marriage is
generally between a man and a woman that doesnt stop the recognition or legalization of samesex marriage. The problem with the legalization of gay marriage is that is pushes the boundaries
and makes it hard to know where the government should limit the people to who they can and
cant marry. With the legalization of gay marriage there should be no limit to marriage because
we shouldnt have the right to allow some to marry who they love, while others have to sit back
and be punished for wrongfully loving someone.
If I were on the state legislator and had the opportunity to vote on the legalization of
same-sex partners I would have voted against it. I would have voted against it because 31 states
defined marriage as between a man and a woman, thus banning gay marriage. (Strong & Cohen,
2014, p.278) And that is the way marriage is defined, and by the legalization of gay marriage all
boundaries are lost. For example, where is the place that the government can draw the line,
where do they decide what should and shouldnt be legal for marriage? Another reason I
wouldnt have voted for this is because it ends the distinction between male-female, gender no
longer matter in our society today.
With the legalization of same sex marriage and assuming, that I would have voted to
legalize same-sex partnership, I am now asked to vote on the legalization of polygamy. Since the
law of same-sex partnership has now been voted on and is now legal I am now forced to vote in
favor of legalizing polygamy. I would feel obligated to vote for it because it wouldnt be right to
allow some to marry whomever they want while denying others the same opportunity.
Polygamy may not seem strange if we look at actual marital practices in the united states.
Considering the high divorce remarriage rates in this country, monogamy may no longer be the
best way of describing our marriage forms. (Strong & Cohen, 2014, p.9) After reading and
thinking about that, it is very true. In our society today after a divorce or even death the spouses
are getting remarried, so if you really look at that, you will see that they have more than one
spouse.
Although I do not support the legalization of gay marriage and would not have voted in
favor of it, had it not passed and become legal, I wouldnt have voted in favor of polygamy; but
because it is we should have to obligation to allow whomever to marry anyone they want. All of
that being said, I do not agree with polygamy, but because of the legalization of same-sex
marriage it would not be right to deny polygamists the right to practice that if that is how they
feel.

References
Strong, B, & Cohen, T. F. (2014). The marriage and family experience: Intimate
relationships in a changing society (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.