Legislators Should Go For Full Marriage Equality

I wrote earlier about how full marriage equality was briefly considered in Maryland before the bill was reverted back to only extending the freedom to marry to (some) same-sex couples.

Whether amendments to legalize polygamous and consanguineous (incestuous) marriages along with same-sex marriages are offered genuinely or cynically, lawmakers who support marriage equality should seize such an opportunity to adopt full marriage equality, so that an adult can marry any consenting adults.

Why?

1. The bigoted and cowardly legislators are going to vote "no" with or without the amendments.

2. There won't be any constituent who will withdraw campaign funding or their ballot box vote based on the amendments who will not already be doing so based on the legislator’s support of the bill without the amendments. Lawmakers, you are not going to get any more people pissed off at you for your support of full marriage equality than you will for your support of just the same-sex freedom to marry.

3. While there are supporters of the same-sex freedom to marry who throw polyamorous people or consanguinamorous people under the bus when bigots attack, they’re not going to drop their support of legislators for supporting full marriage equality. It's not like a same-sex couple is going to say, "Thanks for legalizing marriage for us, but I now oppose you because you also legalized marriage for other people, too!"

4. Last but not leas, it is the right thing to do. Equality just for some is not equality.

So go ahead… be bold, make history, and vote to adopt full marriage equality when the amendments are attached.