A Montana man is seeking to make his marriage to his second wife legal.
Nathan Collier said that his decision to seek out the right to make his second marriage legitimate was influenced by the U.S. Supreme Court decision last week that legalized same-sex marriages in the US. The 46-year-old said on Thursday that he will sue the state if it denies him the right to legally marry his second wife.
Collier, his lawful wife, and his second wife – whom he married in a “spiritual ceremony”—sought a marriage license earlier this week from officials in Billings to legalize their plural marriage.
Polygamy is illegal under both Montana state law and federal law.
According to The Washington Times, the polygamist and his two wives were featured on the popular TLC reality TV show Sister Wives previously. Collier’s first wife, Victoria, and he were married in 2000. Christine later joined the plural marriage in 2007 in a religious ceremony. The family has seven children in total.
Collier told reporters that you can’t have marriage equality “without polygamy.”
It’s about marriage equality. You can’t have this without polygamy.
County clerk officials denied Collier’s application, but then said they would consult with the county attorney before giving him a final answer, reports CBS News.
Collier is a former Mormon who was excommunicated for polygamy. He and his wives lived in secret for years until they went public in January on Sister Wives.
Anne Wilde, a co-founder of the polygamy advocacy organization Principle Voices located in Utah said about the Supreme Court decision, “it’s more liberal, it’s more understanding about people forming the families the way they want.”
We hope the Supreme Court decision will show the direction the nation is going. It’s more liberal, it’s more understanding about people forming the families the way they want.
After last week’s Supreme Court ruling, Immortal News reported on a new study which is using iPhones to collect health data on the LGBT community.
In other news, prior reports covered a father and daughter’s plans to get married in New Jersey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc74SpJnfeY
