Map of the Day: Cousin Lovin’

As a research nerd, and kind of a weirdo, writing a post about gay marriage inequality and sulking about how many states I can’t marry my ex-girlfriend in got me wondering: Hm, how many states could I marry my cousin in? Turns out the answer, despite all that stigma and a slightly increased risk of birth defects in offspring, is, most states. Some have caveats, like that we wouldn’t be allowed to get married unless we were really old or unable to reproduce, and some wouldn’t let us get married but WOULD legally recognize our marriage as long as we had the ceremony somewhere else. Way to not extend that courtesy to the gays, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming!

I am absolutely not saying that I think first cousins shouldn’t be allowed to get married. What I am saying is, I made a map.

Cousin Lovin' Map

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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