Polyamory has proven that it has legal privileges in some cities in and around the United States. Another commitment ceremony planned by D`Amato took place between two people who were both legally married to others, and each person`s partner was present to give his blessing. Then they organized a dance party with their family and friends. “After Somerville, there was a huge wave of excitement within the polyamorous community because there had been almost no movement in the political and legislative spheres for a long time,” Chen says. The amendment, which passed unanimously by City Council last week, required only a minor change in wording. Instead of defining a relationship as an “entity formed by two persons,” Somerville now legally defines it as an “entity formed by humans.” But many non-monogamous people say they don`t feel safe hosting a public event like a commitment ceremony because of the stigma that exists. And while those in polyamorous relationships can work with lawyers to secure certain legal protections (Namer and the Brylinskys work with the Chosen Family Law Center to ensure they all have equal status as parents to their future child), a commitment ceremony doesn`t confer the same rights as a legal marriage. Commitment can become the key to starting a family. Adoption, for example, recognizes formal commitment as a binding element in family relationships.
It replaces consanguinity with this formal obligation recognized by the court. But blood, marriage and genetics still matter a lot legally. A man who fathered a child after a one-night stand is still responsible for child support; His feelings of “obligation,” if any, don`t matter. This is where genetics trumps commitment. However, for sperm donors, surrogates and others, genetics may or may not play a role, depending on the circumstances. Family law is a complex issue; And balancing the claims of blood, genetics, marriage, commitment, and “social parenting” is part of the modern mix, as law (and social norms) grapples with a number of issues posed by modern family and quasi-family life. However, “engagement” seems to be on the rise. To the extent that this is true, the claims of polyamorous families and other variations in family life are likely to receive increasing attention. In legal terms, polyamorous people are not able to marry all their partners: it is illegal in the United States to marry more than one person at a time. Somerville, Massachusetts is considered the first U.S. city to legally recognize polyamorous domestic partnerships, which it has done since 2020.
The town of Somerville, Massachusetts, has issued an ordinance that makes it one of the first cities in the country to officially recognize polyamorous relationships. The city no longer limits the number of people involved in a partnership. We, as members of the legal community, need to start by discussing how to address issues related to multi-person relationships if they arise in the future. We do not need to take sides, nor does this article purport to defend one way or another; But in the absence of laws to follow, we must be ready when a customer walks through our doors to ask for help. Whether the troops` partners achieve equality is unclear or inevitable. Right now, there are more questions than answers. What rights should there be to protect people in multi-party relationships? Should there be laws or should it be up to the parties to make the necessary legal arrangements to take care of all members of the relationship? In short, polyamory is (to some extent) out of the closet. The New Yorker article described a number of polyamorous households and various permutations and combinations. For example, a woman from Washington, D.C.
practicing psychotherapy had an “open marriage” with her husband; Then the man`s girlfriend moved in with them. Then other people moved in, including a woman with two children; Others come and go, but there is a stable and fairly permanent core. Historically, non-traditional relationships (e.g., same-sex couples and IMC relationships) and families (e.g., biracial families) have been criminalized and found unfit to raise their own children. Despite reforms and progress in some family structures, these negative assumptions persist today. Many judges conclude, without evidence, that people who attend the welfare meeting are less moral, less stable, and less able to care for children than monogamous people (e.g., V.J.E.B., 2012; Cross v. Cross, 2008). In addition, some family courts have misunderstood polyamorous relationships, many assuming that long-term plural relationships are synonymous with “wife exchange” or casual sex-only swinging. (Cross v.
Cross, 2008; In re Aleksandree M.M., 2010). Ignorance of polyamory fosters systematic discrimination against these families. In Canada, polyamory is legal and even arrangements are made to raise children in polyamorous relationships. It is illegal in all 50 states to be married to more than one person – which is known as polygamy rather than polyamory. Polyamorous people who try different types of agreements – such as a married couple with permanent external partners – run into their own legal problems. The United States as a nation has no legal framework for polyamory. However, some cities across the country have legally supported polyamorous relationships. Polyamory and polygamy, which are illegal in the United States but still practiced in some communities through “spiritual associations,” are very different. There are also polyamorous people, Farmer said, “who believe their sexuality is part of them.” That`s how they relate to people, and that`s how they see other relationships,” she said.
Following in Somerville`s footsteps, Cambridge City Council agreed to allow more than two people into a legal relationship.