Indeed.

Like "I want to bang you so hard you bleed"

Damn perdix! you beat me to it.... OP you know its legal if its your 3rd cousin (not sure about 2nd cousin). I'd say "go for it". Just use protection... =P

Apparently there's no restriction in 20 states, then the rest of them vary. The US is the only western country that has any prohibition against it. (according to Wikipedia) Hmm - serious question - if there was a prohibition on whatever marriage you were after (gay, cousin, etc) in your home state, is it legit in the US to just go to a different state and do it? I guess the Las Vegas quickie marriage thing partially answers my question.

Jerry lee Lewis married his 13 yr old cousin. Just a useless fact that is relevant to the fml.

Zeb: It varies quite widely. Some states or counties don't allow non-residents to marry, so you can't just go anywhere. Those that do usually have their own requirements (waiting periods, blood tests, etc.) for a marriage license. As for the types of marriages you've described, their recognition depends on your state. For example, I think New York will recognize same-sex marriages performed out-of-state as entirely legal, even though they won't allow same-sex couples to marry in NY. If your state doesn't recognize your out-of-state marriage as legit, I think that affects things like how you can file state taxes, and your qualification for things like insurance benefits. Obviously it would be easier to cheat that system for a non-traditional hetero couple, like cousins, than a same-sex couple. It's pretty complicated.

Haha! Mean Girls...