Remarks given by LeAnne Timpson, Town Hall, St. George, UT, April 27, 2007
Remarks given by LeAnne Timpson
Town Hall
St. George, Utah
April 27, 2007
My name is LeAnne Timpson, I am a member of the Centennial Park Action Committee, a committee of volunteer citizens from the polygamous community of Centennial Park, Arizona. Our mission is to deliver to the public a correct view of the polygamous lifestyle as practiced in Centennial Park with the objectives of dispelling popular stereotypes commonly held by people at large, of defeating unjust laws aimed at the polygamous minority, to overturn, the Supreme Court decision in Reynolds vs. The United States, and to promote more amicable relations with local agencies that deal with families. The outcome the Committee seeks is to achieve an integrated political and social environment within which both polygamous and non-polygamous cultures may comfortably fit.
Three years ago the women of Centennial Park sought an opportunity to work with the Safety Net Committee because we wanted to be involved in the discussions about us. This work has helped to improve relationships and build understanding between polygamous groups and government agencies. As a result, the people of Centennial Park have participated in a wide variety of educational opportunities, covering topics from child abuse, to drug & alcohol abuse, to domestic violence. Families are interested in learning this information and in improving the community where they are raising their children.
Even though some relationships are improving, we feel that public opinion of polygamy is worse today than it was three years ago. Today it is more popular than ever to insult, mock, and publicly disrespect a person associated within polygamy. We feel this is largely due to misrepresentation of facts and widely publicized stories that reinforce stereotypes.
Most polygamists are good, hardworking citizens. They are strong contributors to the surrounding societies, building homes and streets, serving the sick and needy, and teaching in schools and colleges. Polygamy does not equal abuse. Abuse is a human condition, showing its ugly head wherever human beings co-exist. You face it, we face it, and we are all trying to learn how to eradicate it from our midst.
Polygamy, like monogamy, is a term encompassing a diverse group of people. Each polygamous group is different; different practices represent a wide spectrum for agencies to deal with. Our families are just like yours: they’re all unique. Crimes within each group are covered by the law that exists for that crime and individuals are responsible for their own behavior.
Diversity among populations is a wonderful thing; however, diversity requires an individual approach when searching for solutions. As members of Safety Net, we continue to caution case-workers and advocates to deal with each situation with sensitivity and empathy, realizing that broad generalizations create stereotypes. These stereotypes label entire populations with criminal behavior.
Today, polygamists are becoming the victims of hate crimes. Some newspaper articles are announcing businesses that are associated with polygamists and calling for readers to boycott those businesses; false accusations to child protection agencies are being made; religious and cultural disrespect on public radio is encouraged; children have been kidnapped from their legal guardian and, due to the automatic connection of polygamy to abuse, custody papers have been overwritten before an investigation. A recent bill in AZ proposed removing custody rights of parents, not necessarily because they are polygamous themselves, but because they have connections with polygamy. Are we provided protection under the hate crimes law?
Justice means “equal access and equal opportunity under the law.” Anti-polygamy laws are prejudicial. Instead of providing protection, these laws create criminals of law-abiding people who simply practice the principles of their religion. When one man’s freedoms are challenged, all men’s freedoms are compromised. At some point the injustice returns to the society that imposed it.
The Safety Net Committee and government agencies are handicapped in creating equitable solutions because of prejudicial laws on the books. These laws prevent victims from reporting abuse and prevent government agencies from formally changing policy. Solutions ultimately empower those running from polygamy, but violate the rights of those trying to live it. Realize that equitable solutions cannot be reached without decriminalization. Under decriminalization polygamists could have equal access to justice and be held equally accountable for their actions.
I am often asked by members of the public, how I can justify myself in breaking the law. I am a law-abiding citizen. I believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining, the law. I am not a lawbreaker, but I am practicing civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, a great civil rights advocate, once stated, “In civil disobedience breaking the law is not committing to crime it is committing to change.” Today, many minority groups enjoy equal rights; rights that have been obtained after engaging in activities of civil disobedience.
Jonathon Turley, currently a law professor at George Washington University, states in regards to the polygamy issue: “Even for those of us who disapprove of polygamy, there is no denying that it is a practice with deep and good-faith religious meaning. The fact that it is used by abusers and pedophiles is no more reason to prohibit polygamy than spousal abuse is a reason to prohibit monogamy. Criminalization has forced polygamists into secret and closed societies, making monitoring far more difficult. Stripped of the unsupportable claim that polygamy is inevitably linked to pedophilia, the criminalization of polygamy comes down to a sectarian definition of sin and a political judgment as to legitimate relationships.” After considering the alternative lifestyles of today I concur with the following statement from Mr. Turley, “I would rather have a neighbor with different spouses than live in a country with different standards for its citizens”. He said, “It is time to decriminalize polygamy.”
