Editing Polyamory (section)

===Marriage implications===
{{See also|Group marriage|Legality of polygamy|List of polygamy court cases}}

Most [[Western world|western]] countries do not recognize [[polygamous]] marriages, and consider [[bigamy#Legal situation|bigamy a crime]]. Several countries also prohibit people from living a polygamous lifestyle. This is the case in some states of the United States where [[Legality of polygamy in the United States|the criminalization of a polygamous lifestyle]] originated as [[Anti-Mormonism|anti-Mormon]] laws, although they are rarely enforced.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/2004-10-03-turley_x.htm |last= Turley |first = Jonathan |title = Polygamy laws expose our own hypocrisy |newspaper = [[USA Today]] |date = 3 October 2004 |access-date = December 24, 2020 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120722135630/http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/2004-10-03-turley_x.htm |archive-date = 22 July 2012 }}</ref> Having multiple non-marital partners, even if married to one, is legal in most U.S. jurisdictions; at most it constitutes grounds for [[divorce]] if the spouse is non-consenting, or feels that the interest in a further partner has destabilized the marriage. In some jurisdictions, like [[North Carolina]], a spouse can sue a third party for causing "loss of affection" in or "criminal conversation" ([[adultery]]) with their spouse,<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Ruby Deaton Pharr, v. Joyce W. Beck |vol=554 |reporter=S.E.2d |opinion=COA01-3 |court=North Carolina Court of Appeals |date=November 20, 2001 |url=https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1323723/pharr-v-beck/ |access-date=December 24, 2020 }}</ref> while more than twenty states in the US have laws against adultery, although they are infrequently enforced; the Supreme Court's ruling in ''[[Lawrence v. Texas]]'' did not explicitly hold such laws to be unconstitutional but its [[ratio decidendi|reasoning]] may imply that conclusion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://supreme.findlaw.com/legal-commentary/punishing-adultery-in-virginia.html |title=Punishing Adultery in Virginia |last=Grossman |first=Joanna |date=December 16, 2003 |website=[[Findlaw]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127111953/https://supreme.findlaw.com/legal-commentary/punishing-adultery-in-virginia.html |archive-date=November 27, 2018 |access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref>

Polyamory, however, is on a continuum of family-bonds that includes group marriage<ref>{{cite book |last1=Francoeur |first1=Robert T. |year=2004 |chapter=United States: Interpersonal Heterosexual Behaviors |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dciuj1-F3fYC&pg=PA1205 |editor1-last=Francoeur |editor1-first=Robert T. |editor2-last=Noonan |editor2-first=Raymond J. |title=[[International Encyclopedia of Sexuality|The Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality]] |location=London |publisher=A&C Black |pages=1205–1206 |isbn=9780826414885 |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310100816/https://books.google.com/books?id=dciuj1-F3fYC&pg=PA1205 |url-status=live }}</ref> and it does not refer to [[bigamy]] as long as no claim to being married in formal legal terms is made.<ref>{{cite book |last=Constantine |first=Larry L. |title=Group Marriage: A Study of Contemporary Multilateral Marriage |year=1974 |publisher=Collier Books |isbn=978-0020759102 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N0ZBAAAAIAAJ |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310100804/https://books.google.com/books?id=N0ZBAAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/polyamorous-families-legal-challenges-1.3758621 |title=Canadian polyamorists face unique legal challenges, research reveals |last=Crawford |first=Alison |date=September 14, 2016 |website=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224191147/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/polyamorous-families-legal-challenges-1.3758621 |archive-date=December 24, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''The Social History of the American Family: An Encyclopedia'' (2014, edited by Marilyn J. Coleman and Lawrence H. Ganong) stated that under existing U.S. federal law, a polyamorous relationship is legal in all 50 states while polygamy is not.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Martinez |first1=Michelle |year=2014 |chapter=Polygamy |editor1-last=Ganong |editor1-first=Lawrence H. |editor2-last=Coleman |editor2-first=Marilyn J. |title=The Social History of the American Family: An Encyclopedia |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R3VpBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1048 |location=[[Thousand Oaks, California]] |publisher=[[SAGE Publishing|SAGE Publications]] |page=1048 |isbn=978-1452286150 |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310100814/https://books.google.com/books?id=R3VpBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1048 |url-status=live }}</ref> On November 23, 2011, the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that the anti-polygamy law of Canada does not affect unformalized polyamorous households; this is why Polyamory Day is celebrated every year on November 23.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=http://polyadvocacy.ca/polyamory-day-faq/|title=Polyamory Day - Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association|access-date=December 26, 2020|archive-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122225910/http://polyadvocacy.ca/polyamory-day-faq/|url-status=live}}</ref> Even so, those in polyamorous relationships often face legal challenges when it comes to custody, morality clauses, adultery and bigamy laws, housing, and where they live.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-polyamorists-next-door/201401/the-five-most-common-legal-issues-facing-polyamorists |title=The Five Most Common Legal Issues Facing Polyamorists |last=Sheff |first=Elisabeth A. |date=January 18, 2014 |website=[[Psychology Today]] |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201224191956/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-polyamorists-next-door/201401/the-five-most-common-legal-issues-facing-polyamorists |archive-date=December 24, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2012, legal scholar Deborah Anapol called for the revision of existing U.S. laws against bigamy to permit married persons to enter into additional marriages, provided that they have first given legal notice to their existing marital partner or partners, with a "dyadic networks" model.<ref>{{cite book |last=Anapol |first=Deborah |url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442200227/Polyamory-in-the-21st-Century-Love-and-Intimacy-with-Multiple-Partners |title=''Polyamory in the 21st Century: Love and Intimacy with Multiple Partners'' |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2012 |isbn=9781442200227 |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926084419/https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442200227/Polyamory-in-the-21st-Century-Love-and-Intimacy-with-Multiple-Partners |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, another legal scholar, Ronald C. Den Otter, wrote in the ''Emory Law Journal'' (in the article "Three May Not Be a Crowd: The Case for a Constitutional Right to Plural Marriage") that in the United States the constitutional rights of [[due process]] and [[equal protection]] fully support marriage rights for polyamorous families.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Den Otter|first1=Ron|title=Three May Not Be a Crowd: The Case for a Constitutional Right to Plural Marriage|url= https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=elj|access-date=June 27, 2015|journal=Emory Law Journal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630022240/http://law.emory.edu/elj/_documents/volumes/64/6/den-otter.pdf|archive-date=June 30, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

During a [[PinkNews]] question-and-answer session in May 2015, Redfern Jon Barrett questioned [[Natalie Bennett]], leader of the [[Green Party of England and Wales]], about her party's stance toward polyamorous marriage rights. Bennett responded by saying that her party is "open" to discussion on the idea of civil partnership or marriages between three people.<ref>{{cite news|last1=McCormick|first1=Joseph|title=Natalie Bennett is 'open' to polyamorous marriages and civil partnerships|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/05/01/natalie-bennett-is-open-to-polyamorous-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/|access-date=20 June 2015|work=[[PinkNews]]|date=May 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620162802/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/05/01/natalie-bennett-is-open-to-polyamorous-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/|archive-date=June 20, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Bennett's announcement aroused media controversy on the topic and led to major international news outlets covering her answer.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Holehouse|first1=Matthew|title=Greens 'open' to three-person marriage, says Natalie Bennett|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11576818/Greens-open-to-three-person-marriage-says-Natalie-Bennett.html|access-date=June 20, 2015|work=[[Daily Telegraph]]|date=May 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316055039/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11576818/Greens-open-to-three-person-marriage-says-Natalie-Bennett.html|archive-date=March 16, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ashton|first1=Emily|title=The Green Party Is "Open" To Legalizing Three-Way Marriages|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/the-green-party-is-open-to-legalising-three-way-marriages|access-date=20 June 2015|work=[[BuzzFeed]]|date=May 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224134246/https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/the-green-party-is-open-to-legalising-three-way-marriages|archive-date=December 24, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> A follow-up article written by Barrett was published by PinkNews on May 4, 2015, further exploring the topic.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barrett|first1=Redfern|title=Comment: Why polyamorous marriages are the next step to equality|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/05/04/comment-why-polyamorous-marriages-are-the-next-step-to-equality/|access-date=June 20, 2015|work=[[PinkNews]]|date=May 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702191101/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/05/04/comment-why-polyamorous-marriages-are-the-next-step-to-equality/|archive-date=July 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> 
In most countries, it is legal for three or more people to form and share a sexual relationship (subject sometimes to laws against [[homosexuality]] or [[adultery]] if two of the three are married). With only minor exceptions no developed countries permit ''marriage'' among more than two people, nor do the majority of countries give legal protection (e.g., of rights relating to children) to non-married partners. Individuals involved in polyamorous relationships are generally considered by the law to be no different from people who live together, or "[[Dating|date]]", under other circumstances. In 2017, John Alejandro Rodriguez, Victor Hugo Prada, and Manuel Jose Bermudez became [[Colombia]]'s first polyamorous family to have a legally recognized relationship,<ref name="advocate1">{{cite web |last=Reynolds |first=Daniel |url=https://www.advocate.com/world/2017/6/15/three-gay-men-make-history-marrying-colombia |title=Three Gay Men Make History by Marrying in Colombia |publisher=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |date=June 15, 2017 |access-date=June 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616012510/https://www.advocate.com/world/2017/6/15/three-gay-men-make-history-marrying-colombia |archive-date=June 16, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> though not a marriage, as by Colombian law, marriage is between two people, so they instead called it a "special patrimonial union".<ref name="Guard01">{{cite news|last=Brodzinski|first=Sibylla|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/03/colombia-three-men-union-alejandro-rodriguez-manuel-bermudez-victor-hugo-prada|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Colombia legally recognizes union between three men|date=July 3, 2017|access-date=September 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913045912/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/03/colombia-three-men-union-alejandro-rodriguez-manuel-bermudez-victor-hugo-prada|archive-date=September 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-40655103 |title=Polyamorous marriage: Is there a future for three-way weddings? |last=Taylor-Coleman |first=Jasmine |date=July 20, 2017 |website=[[BBC News]] |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224192800/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-40655103 |archive-date=December 24, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Some have called for [[domestic partnership]] laws to be expanded to include polyamorous couples<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dryden |first1=J. Boone |date=2015 |title=This Is the Family I Chose: Broadening DomesticPartnership Law to Include Polyamory |url=https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=jplp |journal=Hamline University's School of Law's Journal of Public Law and Policy |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=162–188 |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306040123/https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=jplp |url-status=live }}</ref> and have said that marriage-like entitlements should apply to such couples.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brake |first1=Elizabeth |date=2013 |title=Recognizing Care: The Case for Friendship and Polyamory |url=https://slace.syr.edu/issue-1-2013-14-on-equality/recognizing-care-the-case-for-friendship-and-polyamory/ |journal=Syracuse Journal of Law & Civic Engagement |volume=14 |issue=1 |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-date=April 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408125205/https://slace.syr.edu/issue-1-2013-14-on-equality/recognizing-care-the-case-for-friendship-and-polyamory/ |url-status=live }}</ref>