Massachusetts, Marriage, Modernity: Part One

After the Supreme Court of Massachusetts “found” a constitutional right to gay marriage in its 1780 constitution, our nation was introduced into the brave new world of elastically defined marriages.

However, Massachusetts was not satisfied with finding a constitutional right to gay marriage in a document written by John Adams. Just a few days ago, three citizens of Massachusetts entered into the first three-way marriage between people of the same sex in the world.

While it is not explicitly recognized as a polygamous marriage by the state, the complex legal arrangement they set up secures a status as close to marriage as legally possible. At this point, the proponent of gay marriage has a very easy way to proceed: accept it. If the line of reasoning which justifies gay marriage also justifies polygamy, just accept polygamy.

Yet, I suspect that many people will get off the USS Progressive at this point before it anchors on the island of Consistency. It is an overrated destination anyway. Most people who contend for gay marriage understand that the vast majority of American’s would oppose it if they were shown its necessary consequences.

The problem with redefining marriage in this way is thus: it destroys the limiting principle almost universally recognized throughout history. If the sex of the parties involved is irrelevant to the institution, why is the quantity relevant? How is some illicit threshold crossed when three loving people desire to solemnize their affiliation? Why must the liberal be so closed minded as to restrict the polygamous to second-class status?

The fundamental confusion of our culture regarding this issue stems from our obsession with sex. We assume that a relationship in which sex is present is categorically more valuable than a relationship in which it is not. Therefore, we assume that a society which does not legally codify every relational association in which sex is involved is somehow discriminatory.

Please check back next week for part two of this series.