Is polygamy the next battle to be fought on marriage equality?

  Is polygamy the next battle to be fought on marriage equality? The answer to that question is yes if a Montana man has his way but what is interesting is that he is actually using Chief Justice John Roberts dissent as his motivation.

  Nathan Collier has two wives which he married in separate religious ceremonies, however he did not obtain a marriage license for his second wife so that he could avoid bigamy charges. He feels as if his second wife is not legitimate in the eyes of the law and he is hoping to use John Roberts dissent as justification to acquire the marriage license he has up until this point been unable to legally obtain. 

  Here is more:

A Montana man said Wednesday that he was inspired by last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage to apply for a marriage license so that he can legally wed his second wife.

Nathan Collier and his wives Victoria and Christine applied at the Yellowstone County Courthouse in Billings on Tuesday in an attempt to legitimize their polygamous marriage. Montana, like all 50 states, outlaws bigamy – holding multiple marriage licenses – but Collier said he plans to sue if the application is denied.

“It’s about marriage equality,” Collier told The Associated Press Wednesday. “You can’t have this without polygamy.”

The Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday made gay marriages legal nationwide. Chief Justice John Roberts said in his dissent that people in polygamous relationships could make the same legal argument that not having the opportunity to marry disrespects and subordinates them.

Collier, 46, said that dissent inspired him. He owns a refrigeration business in Billings and married Victoria, 40, in 2000. He and his second wife, Christine, had a religious wedding ceremony in 2007 but did not sign a marriage license to avoid bigamy charges, he said.

“We just want to add legal legitimacy to an already happy, strong, loving family,” Nathan Collier told KTVQ.

“We’re not even asking for acceptance, we’re just asking for tolerance. Let us live our lives together without fear,” said Nathan Collier.

“My second wife Christine, who I’m not legally married to, she’s put up with my crap for a lot of years. She deserves legitimacy,” he said.

“It’s two distinct marriages, its two distinct unions, and for us to come together and create family, what’s wrong with that?” said Christine. “I don’t understand why it’s looked upon and frowned upon as being obscene.”

   This is just the beginning but in all honesty in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling, and coupled with the argument gay marriage proponents have been using for years, it is hard to see how there can be any justification to deny him and his second wife a marriage license. They cannot control who they fall in love with, or how many people they fall in love with, right?

Malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium