And so, with one vote, the Maryland Senate swung wide open the doors to polygamy in the state. That’s where the 25-21 vote making gay marriage legal inevitably has to lead. This assertion will no doubt infuriate gay rights activists — the very idea of equating a union between two gay men or two lesbians is not equivalent to polygamy, they will rightly argue — but polygamy advocates will no doubt use the logic gay marriage supporters used to great advantage.
That logic was basically this: Gay marriage is a civil rights issue. Restricting marriage to heterosexuals is discrimination. Gays and lesbians are citizens, and should be entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals. And one of those rights is marriage. Those 25 senators who voted to legalize gay marriage in Maryland would claim that they in no way meant the same to apply to polygamy.
