Polyamory, Social Conservatism and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate in the US

Abstract

The arguments against same-sex marriage used by the Christian right and other social conservatives in the US have shifted in character. Drawing upon the work of Stanley Kurtz, they have increasingly suggested that same-sex marriage will necessarily lead to the legal recognition of polygamous and polyamorous relationships. From this perspective, the Supreme Court's ruling in Lawrence v. Texas (2003) had, by expanding notions of ‘sexual liberty’, paved the way for the legalisation and recognition of all consenting adult relationships. The article suggests that the Christian right's increased use of consequentialist arguments rather than claims structured around biblical authority or opposition to homosexuality per se is a form of adaptation to long-term shifts in the character of US popular attitudes.