Doll, Kitten and Brynn are three women living in the US who are married to each other. The trio had a joining ceremony last August in Massachusetts and they are now expecting the birth of their daughter in July.
The youngest of the trio, 27-year-old Kitten, fell pregnant via IVF with an anonymous sperm donor. The women chose her to carry the child as she will be the full-time stay at home mum.
Despite the unusual relationship, the women insist their relationship is similar to many monogamous relationships. Byrnn, whose last name Doll and Kitten took after the ceremony, works 40 hours each week while Doll does the cooking and Kitten, the cleaning.
Although being married to three people is currently illegal, Kitten and Brynn are legally married while Doll is ‘handfasted’ to ensure they are as equally married as possible.
When interviewed, Kitten said “I had a very traditional upbringing and marriage had always been an important symbol of commitment for me.”
“We wanted to celebrate our love in a wedding like everyone else.”
Brynn told The Daily Mail that she wishes for the trio’s relationship style not to be stigmatized.
“Poly-fidelity is not something seedy or something that’s meant to be hidden away,” she said.
“It can be a perfectly acceptable and functional choice of life and love.”
What I found most interesting about this story was the discussion that it has prompted. Many commentators state that “love is love”, that the form of the relationship shouldn’t matter. And to some extent I agree with this romantic view.
However, many discuss how this relationship is outside the norm and for good reason. They state that a relationship can only be between two people. Some asked that if polygamy is okay in this relationship. Does that mean it is okay in all relationships?
Or what would the reaction be if it was 1 man married to two women?
Reading through the discussions on the topic actually changed my view of this case since I initially read the article which highlighted that the author presented the story in a specific way.