August 19th is important to pro-polygamists. Since 2001, dedicated polygamy rights activists have been celebrating it as their own special day.
Five years ago, on August 19, 2001, polygamy supporters rallied together to declare August 19 as the annual official “Polygamy Day.” It was agreed that they would celebrate that same day every year. To commemorate that first event, the web-site www.PolygamyDay.com was created that very same day.
With 2001 being the year-number “1” of the new millennium, that first official Polygamy Day was labeled as “Polygamy Day 1.” It was further agreed that that system would apply to all future Polygamy Days.
By “Polygamy Day 2,” on August 19, 2002, a new corporation was formally established, Polygamy Day, Inc. Pursuing the de-criminalization of consenting-adult polygamy, the corporation’s purpose seeks to promote and rally public awareness of polygamy. Per its “Articles of Incorporation,” Polygamy Day, Inc. was organized, in part, “To promote the date of ‘August 19,’ in each and every year, as the only, actual, exclusive, trademark, and ‘official’ date of ‘Polygamy Day,’ each year, in every and all successive years forward, from the very first ‘official’ ‘Polygamy Day,’ which began, occurred, and was so declared on August 19, 2001...”
As of “Polygamy Day 3,” the U.S. Supreme Court had decided the Lawrence v. Texas case. In his Dissent, conservative Justice Antonin Scalia begrudgingly made it clear that polygamy rights for consenting-adults were being re-guaranteed.
By “Polygamy Day 4,” the Massachusetts State Supreme Judicial Court had decided the Goodridge case. Although the decision invented a new form of government marriage in Massachusetts called “same sex marriage,” both sides’ arguments unwittingly proved that - either way - polygamy is undeniably valid marriage.
By “Polygamy Day 5,” both houses of the U.S. Congress had failed to pass a big government marriage amendment. And just three days before that August 19, 2005, Pat Robertson’s “700 Club” made the historic act of identifying Christian Polygamists as non-Mormon evangelical Christians.
Over the subsequent year leading up to the current “Polygamy Day 6,” many events accelerated the polygamy rights movement. A government study in Canada recommended de-criminalizing polygamy. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided “Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita,” putting two burdens of proof on the government to prove, first, why all polygamy should supposedly be completely banned and, second, why making an exemption for specific benevolent forms of polygamy would undermine such a complete ban – impossibilities for the government to ever prove. A new show on HBO’s pay-TV network, called “Big Love,” was the very first of its kind to portray normal consenting-adult polygamists. That generated enormous media coverage on the polygamy movement and its renowned battle-cry, “Polygamy Rights is the next civil rights battle.” And both houses of the U.S. Congress - again - failed to pass a big government marriage amendment.
So, on this Polygamy Day, August 19, 2006, polygamy rights freedom is coming faster than ever. Whether by gatherings or individual celebrations, pro-polygamists are rejoicing, celebrating a truly hope-filled Polygamy Day.
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Bibliographic URLs:
Polygamy Day, Inc.
http://www.PolygamyDay.com
History of events in 2006
http://www.pro-polygamy.com/articles.php?news=0044
