West Hollywood’s City Council voted unanimously, 5-0, on Monday to pass an ordinance giving people in “multipartner domestic relationships” new protections under city law.
The ordinance lets people in a relationship involving three or more adults sign a declaration with the city clerk. That declaration unlocks certain rights for qualifying partners, including hospital visitation and jail visitation rights.
The ordinance text states it is now “the public policy of the City of West Hollywood that it is necessary to recognize and protect the right and opportunity of all persons to have multi-partner domestic relationships formally recognized and respected, and to be free from discrimination on account of their partnership in a multi-partner domestic relationship.” It further states that “diverse relationship structures, including relationship structures involving more than two adults engaged in a loving, committed, and consensual relationship, are becoming increasingly common.”
The city stops short of recognizing these relationships as marriages or registered domestic partnerships, which would conflict with state and federal law. West Hollywood is nonetheless one of only a handful of local governments in the country to adopt any form of protection for multipartner relationships. The city first passed an anti-discrimination ordinance covering polyamorous relationships back in March. This new ordinance takes effect 30 days after adoption.
Fox News Digital reached out to West Hollywood’s communications department for comment and had not received a response at the time of the original report.
Critics warn of broader consequences
University of Virginia professor and Institute for Family Studies senior fellow Brad Wilcox criticized the move in comments to Fox News Digital, arguing it carries risks beyond the city’s intent.
“The dangers of legally recognizing polyamorous relationships are twofold. First, it normalizes households where children live with adults who are not related to them by birth or adoption, an arrangement the research consistently links to higher risks for kids. Second, it paves the way for polygamy, which the scholarly literature shows fuels gender inequality and hurts child well-being, because wives and children end up competing for a man’s attention and resources. So, what seems like a progressive move here in West Hollywood can lead to some illiberal destinations that are bad for women and children.”
West Hollywood joins a small number of jurisdictions nationwide, including a Massachusetts city that recently recognized polyamorous relationships through its own domestic partnership ordinance, in extending some form of government recognition to multipartner households.
