Polygamist Montana resident applies for a license to marry second wife

(Lucy Nicholson / Reuters)

Last week marked a monumental moment as the United States Supreme Court finally legalized same-sex marriage. And the ruling has inspired other types of marriage to come forward and ask for legality, including polygamist Nathan Collier and his two wives, Virginia and Christine.

Collier went to the Yellowstone County in Billings, Montana last Tuesday to apply for a marriage license for him and his second wife Christine. The two were met with confusion from the clerk who said that he cannot be legally married to two people at the same time. But wanting to give the couple a chance, the clerk called in his supervisor, who in turn denied the request but promised to consult with the county's attorney office.

Yellowstone County chief civil litigator Kevin Gillen is now reviewing Collier's request and will give out a formal response by next week.

Bigamy is considered unlawful in all fifty states but Collier argues that last week's ruling on same-sex marriage should also apply in his case. Mail Online quotes him, "It's about marriage equality. You can't have this without polygamy." He further explains that his decision was greatly-inspired by Chief Justice John Roberts' dissent on the Supreme Court Ruling that a jump from opposite sex marriage to same sex marriage is greater than two-person to multiple-person unions and that "it is hard to see how [the majority] can say no to the shorter one."

Collier recalls how he courted his current legal wife Victoria and his second wife Christie at the same time because he fell in love with both women. He married Victoria in 2000 and Christine in 2007. The three now live under one roof with their eight children.

Collier is already in contact with ACLU of Montana for possible representation, in case his request to legalize his marriage with Christine is denied.

The Collier family appeared recently in an episode of the TLC reality show "Two Wives."

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