A leading member of the LGBTIQ+ community has expressed his ‘disgust’ at polygamy and criticised calls for it to be legalised in the United States.

Author Jonathan Rauch has launched a scathing attack against proponents of the controversial practice declaring polygamous culture a “perversion”.

His words come after comments made by Robyn Trask, the Executive Director of advocacy group ‘Loving More’. She had criticised the resistance that supporters of polygamy face, comparing their plight to that of homosexuals before same-sex marriage was legalised.

In a blog post she said, “Polygamy is a basic human right, it’s no ones business who I marry. It’s completely unfair that we have our love restricted to just one person”. She also accused gay rights activists of hypocrisy for not supporting their cause.

She added, “They (homosexuals) were all for equal rights when it suited them. All of a sudden they only care about themselves. Who gave them the right to decide who can and can’t get married? We are being treated like second class citizens.”

Rauch has dismissed accusations of hypocrisy by saying, “They don’t deserve equal rights because what they do is wrong, it’s a sin. Rauch continued, “It is a slippery slope towards legalizing things like incest and bestiality. We must stand up for the institution of marriage.”

Polygamy is currently illegal in America, although informal polygamous relationships are still practiced in many states.