'My Five Wives' Family Celebrates Feminism and Overturned Polygamy Law, No Longer Criminals
"My Five Wives" is a show on TLC that gives viewers a chance to learn more about a modern polygamist family. Brady Williams is the polygamist man in charge, who used to be a fundamentalist Mormon, but not anymore.
Williams, who has five wives and calls themselves Progressive polygamists, also identifies themselves as feminists. When the Atlantic asked who among them considers themselves as "feminist," all of them raised their hands. Brady does not want to be called the "head of the household" and believes in equality for all of his marriages.
The Williams family consists of one husband, five wives and 24 children. Brady sleeps with the women every fifth night while the women share him with the other wives for the rest of the week. Some of the wives expressed their want to have more children when one wife considered the idea of adoption. The family also uses birth control even if they were all raised believing that they should not.
According to ABC, Brady had five wives when he turned 29 years old. He says it is not that complicated because they love each other and it is just like "normal times five." He confesses that they have sex, but there is no hanky-panky between them. There are two houses next two each other, and each wife and their children have their own space. He says fundamentalist Mormons believe polygamy is the way to heaven and Williams believe it as well.
Meanwhile, the polygamist family is now celebrating a Utah judge's decision legalising their unconventional lifestyle. "Sister Wives" star Kody Brown and his four wives sued the state of Utah for its polygamy law, which is now declared unconstitutional. "Polygamy is not illegal anymore. Amazing," Brady told Radar Online.
In December of 2013, the judge removed part of the polygamy law in Utah that deals with "cohabitation." Bigamy is still illegal, but plural families are now allowed to live together in the state as long as there is only one legal marriage. "It's really really good news for us as a family and for all polygamists that we're now no longer criminals," Brady added.
Brady is a philosophy major taking a feminist theory class at the moment. He is also a manager of a construction company.
"My Five Wives" airs every Sunday at 10/9c on TLC.