People in polyamorous relationships fight ‘shame,’ demand legal protections
By Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times
…West Hollywood’s five-person City Council on March 2 unanimously approved advancing a registry of multi-partner domestic relationships. It’s the latest of a few cities in the U.S. to pursue legal protection for groups of more than two adults living in a single household who are romantically or otherwise committed to one another. Such family structures, experts say, can face systemic barriers in housing, healthcare, education and other services where existing policies often assume dual income or nuclear households…
After the Somerville ordinance passed, several attorneys and other advocates across the country exploring polyamory law banded together to form the Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition to ensure those drafting future legislation had the necessary support and expertise.
Their efforts are yielding real gains. Two other Massachusetts cities, Cambridge and Arlington, followed Somerville’s example in 2021. In 2024, Berkeley and Oakland passed ordinances outlawing discrimination based on family structure, including polyamorous relationships. In recent weeks, the Oregon cities of Portland and Astoria, as well as Olympia, Wash., have advanced similar protections.
