# West Hollywood Council Votes 5-0 to Recognize Multipartner Relationships; a Family Scholar Warns It Could Pave the Way to Polygamy, Fox News Reports

Fox News says the ordinance lets people in relationships of three or more sign a statement with the city clerk for rights such as hospital and jail visitation. It does not create marriage. Brad Wilcox objects.

- Section: [Culture](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/culture/)
- Published: 2026-11-04
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/west-hollywood-council-5-0-ordinance-multipartner-domestic-relationships-polyamory-brad-wilcox-fox-news/

The West Hollywood, California, city council voted 5-0 for an ordinance that recognizes relationships among more than two adults, Fox News reports.

What it does. People in "multipartner domestic relationships" can sign a statement with the city clerk. Qualifying partners get certain rights, including hospital and jail visitation. The ordinance states it is the city's public policy to "recognize and protect the right and opportunity of all persons to have multi-partner domestic relationships formally recognized and respected." It says such relationships are "becoming increasingly common."

What it does not do. Fox says the ordinance does not make these relationships a marriage or a registered domestic partnership under state or federal law. West Hollywood is one of only a handful of local governments with some form of protection for multipartner relationships, Fox reports.

More detail from a second source. Breitbart, citing a New York Post report, says registrants must give mutual consent and cannot be related by blood. It says they would also get added tenant protections, and that registration is not limited to city residents. It quotes the attorney who first pitched the idea, Christina Fialho, telling the Los Angeles Times the ordinance is "just the beginning." Breitbart says the council earlier added "family or relationship" structure to the city's anti-discrimination protections. We did not verify those details against the Post or the Times.

The objection. Brad Wilcox, a University of Virginia professor and senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, told Fox News Digital the dangers are twofold. First, he said, it normalizes households where children live with adults who are not related to them, which he says research links to higher risks for kids. Second, he said it "paves the way for polygamy," which he says fuels gender inequality and hurts child well-being.

A date discrepancy. Fox says the vote was Monday. Breitbart says Tuesday. We do not know which is right.

What we could not check. We did not read the ordinance text and could not confirm the vote date. Fox says it asked the city for comment and had not heard back at publication.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/media/west-hollywood-unanimously-passes-ordinance-granting-protections-polyamorous-relationships)