On September 14th, Slate had an advice column about a cousin couple:
He welcomed me with open arms. It started out so innocently. He lived in a small travel trailer so we just shared the bed, after all, he’s just my cousin. But it became physical one evening. That led to an every single evening event. At first, it was just like oh well, we are just having fun and enjoying ourselves. Plus it’s not like anyone’s going to find out.
This is another old article that showed up in my e-mail. In 2016 the Houston Press had an advice column, and a guy made a confession about his cousin.
I tried to think about other things but couldn’t. My cousin was sitting directly on my privates. I wanted to adjust myself but refrained because I didn’t want to make my sisters or cousin think I was a pervert.
My cousin knew what was going on because when we got out of the car, she sheepishly looked down at my bulge to see if I was still hard, which I was. Afterwards, we never said anything to each other about the incident. Is something wrong with me that I don’t feel ashamed about getting turned on by my own cousin?
The response started with this: "It’s natural for a guy to get aroused if “anything” is pressed directly against his private parts for an extended time." It goes on to disapprove of the encounter and cousin couples are not permitted in Texas. The article doesn't list the ages of the participants, but hopefully they had reached the age of consent before anything more happened.
On July 23rd radio station Kool 107.9 FM Western Colorado's Greatest Hits, had a brief article listing the states where you can marry a cousin. Here is the introduction:
The phrase "keeping it in the family" can mean something a bit different in Colorado and 18 other states in the US as it is legal to marry your first cousin. Before the Civil War, marriage to a cousin was legal in all states according to Wikipedia.
We're not just talking about a second cousin removed by marriage either. Marrying your first cousin in Colorado is entirely legal in the state. Think of your mom's brother's kid. Yep, you could legally marry them in 19 states.
I don't know why this popped up in my e-mail now, but back in 2017 The Wrap had an article about celebrities who married a relative. Some of these are so distantly related that it's probably absurd to refer to them as cousin marriages, but there are some good examples.
1) Albert Einstein, a German theoretical physicist, married his cousin Elsa Einstein. Their mothers were sisters, and their fathers were first cousins, so they were even more closely related than a regular cousin couple. They did not have any children of their own, but Albert raised her daughters from a previous marriage.
2) David Lean, an English film director, married his cousin Isabel Lean and they had a son.
3) H. G. Wells, an English writer, married his cousin Isabel Mary Wells, but they didn't have any children.
4) Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, married his cousin Emma Wedgwood and they had 10 children.
5) Greta Scacchi, an Italian-Australian actress, was in a relationship with her cousin Carlo Mantegazza and they have a son together.
6) Edgar Allan Poe, American writer, married his cousin Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe, but they didn't have any children.
7) Jesse James, American outlaw, married his cousin Zerelda Mimms and they had 4 children. She had the same first name as Jesse's mother.
On July 1st, someone using the name of TheRightNurse, radiant figure of feminine kindness posted an article to Ricochet about cousin marriage. She makes some good points that I've thought about before. If there is a national right to same-sex marriage, then there should be for cousin marriage also. If ability to have children is not relevant for same-sex couples, then it shouldn't be a factor for cousin couples either. If it were legal, the chances of birth defects would drop because couples would have access to genetic counseling without threat of imprisonment. Since marriage and abortion are not listed in the Constitution, I think they should be decided by the voters and not Congress or the Supreme Court.
Here is part of the article:
Obergefell requires all states and territories to recognize same-sex marriages from any and all states, to uphold them, and to provide for them as a function of due process and equal protection. Same-sex marriage cannot be banned.
If this is true, then cousin marriage laws must be overturned, based upon discriminatory practices and gender discrimination, as well as discrimination based upon sexual orientation.
According to Wikipedia (that font of knowledge!), nineteen states outright allow first-cousin marriage. California, of course, is one such haven. If someone wants to marry their cousin? CA is their place! Want to co-habit and have sexual relations? California, here we come! Strangely enough, states like Mississippi hold it to be out outright illegal and do not recognize out-of-state first-cousin marriages. Those wacky, backward southern states!
On April 18th the New York Post had an article that was originally published in The Sun about an Irish couple:
An Irish traveler has revealed that she is marrying her cousin, and they have no less than 73 best men to witness the union.
Chantelle Kielly, 18, who lives in Rathkeale, is marrying her first cousin Jim in a ceremony that the whole town is invited to.
Traditionally traveler families from the town spend 10 months of the year traveling before returning in December for wedding season, when there can be up to 10 ceremonies a week.
Chantelle and Jim’s is one of them, with the bride’s family securing the engagement by paying the groom’s family a dowry which ranges between $54,000 and $129,000.
