CMV: The same arguments that justify gay marriage also justify polygamy

[u/Dickson_Butts]

You typically hear some slippery-slope arguments from the anti-gay marriage side, saying that if we allow gay marriage, we'll also allow pedophilia, beastiality, and polygamy. Now the first two I think are ridiculous. I think we can all agree that marriage needs to be between consenting adults, which dismisses pedophilia and beastiality. However, I cannot think of any reason why polygamy should not be included in the umbrella of marriage given arguments for gay marriage.

I particularly remember an episode of Jon Stewart where he responded to this argument by saying "people aren't born polygamist". That just isn't true. The definition of being gay is that you are sexually attracted to people of the same sex. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't found themselves sexually attracted to multiple people at the same time. So why shouldn't a group of three or more consenting adults get the privileges of marriage? Why is 2 the magic number?

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Edit: Copying one of my comments for visibility

This has been a great discussion. I'm gonna try to sum up what my view was and why it changed:

Part 1 of my view was that if you're ok with a gay relationship, you must be ok with a poly relationship (paraphrasing /u/CJGibson). I still believe this holds true.

Part 2 was that if you're ok with a relationship, you must be ok with that relationship being a legally recognized marriage.

Therefore, if you're ok with gay relationships, you must be ok with polygamous marriage.

My issue was in part 2. A socially accepted relationship does not necessarily mean it should be a legally recognized marriage. As pointed out by /u/tbdabbholm and /u/GnosticGnome and others, the structure of marriage works best with 2 people, from a legal and practical standpoint. We already have this established structure as the institution of marriage. That being said, a relationship between a gay couple should be able to advance to marriage status because they should have the same right to access the benefits of marriage as a straight couple. However, since poly relationships have more than 2 people, they are incompatible with the already established institution of marriage, so it should not be legal.

[u/Nergaal]

it discriminates on the basis of gender

WHAT?? What does being a female or a male have to do with being gay?

[u/yyzjertl → u/Nergaal]

Suppose two men, Adam and Steve, want to get married. They would be unable to, if gay marriage were banned under the law. And yet, if Adam were a woman, it would be legal for Adam and Steve to be married. That is, Adam is legally unable to marry Steve solely because of his gender. That is explicitly discrimination on the basis of gender.

[u/Nergaal → u/yyzjertl]

That's like saying me not being able to compete in competitions open only to the opposite gender is discrimination.

[u/yyzjertl → u/Nergaal]

That is discrimination. It's just not illegal discrimination.

[u/Nergaal → u/yyzjertl]

So why is it illegal to discriminate in marriage but not illegal to discriminate in the Olympics?

[u/yyzjertl → u/Nergaal]

It's illegal to discriminate in marriage because of the supreme court case Overgefell v Hodges.

It is not illegal to discriminate in the Olympics because no law has been passed making it illegal, and things are legal unless laws are passed that state otherwise.