THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?

SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do)

• West Hollywood unanimously approves legal recognition for relationships involving three or more adults.
• Registered partners can receive hospital visitation, jail visitation and certain tenant protections.
• You don’t even have to live in West Hollywood to register your relationship.

LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time)

Remember when the most complicated question about a relationship was whether somebody remembered their anniversary?

Well, welcome to West Hollywood, California, where city officials have decided that two people in a committed relationship might be a little too limiting.

The West Hollywood City Council voted 5-0 this week to formally recognize polyamorous relationships involving three or more consenting adults, creating a municipal registration system that grants certain legal protections to these unconventional partnerships.

And here’s the kicker: You don’t even have to live in West Hollywood to sign up.

Under Ordinance 26-13, people involved in what the city calls “multi-partner domestic relationships” can register with the city clerk and receive protections involving hospital visitation, jail visitation and certain housing matters.

Yes, city hall now has paperwork for your throuple.

The ordinance declares that relationships involving more than two adults deserve formal recognition and protection from discrimination. City officials say they’re responding to evolving family structures and the needs of residents whose relationships don’t fit traditional definitions.

Now, to be clear, West Hollywood hasn’t legalized three-person marriages. State and federal marriage laws remain unchanged, and the city’s new registry doesn’t carry all the rights of marriage.

But the city is taking another step toward official recognition of relationships involving multiple partners.

West Hollywood had already adopted anti-discrimination protections for polyamorous relationships in March. This week’s measure establishes the registration process and expands specific municipal protections.

Supporters call it a landmark achievement for nontraditional families.

City Councilmember Chelsea Byers described the ordinance as an important development for West Hollywood’s LGBTQ community and changing family structures.

Not everyone is celebrating.

Brad Wilcox, a University of Virginia professor and senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, told Fox News that legal recognition of polyamorous relationships raises concerns about children, family stability and the possibility of eventually normalizing polygamy.

Wilcox argues that such arrangements could create additional risks for women and children, particularly when households include adults who aren’t related to children by birth or adoption.

Supporters, meanwhile, argue that adults in consensual relationships shouldn’t lose basic protections simply because their families include more than two partners.

And that’s where the argument gets interesting.

If three adults can register, what about four? Five? At what point does a domestic partnership begin to resemble a small committee?

And if everyone gets hospital visitation rights, somebody had better make sure the hospital has enough chairs.

The ordinance takes effect 30 days after adoption, giving West Hollywood another distinction in its long history of pioneering unconventional social policies.

One thing is certain: The city clerk’s office may soon be handling relationship paperwork that requires considerably more signature lines.

And heaven help whoever gets assigned to organize the anniversary reminders.

DBS WIRE SOURCES (I have all day)

• Fox News — West Hollywood unanimously passes ordinance granting protections for polyamorous relationships
• LAist — West Hollywood passes domestic partnership registry for polyamorous families
• Los Angeles Times — In a triad? A foursome? West Hollywood will register your relationship
• City of West Hollywood — November 2 council agenda, Ordinance 26-13