Little Traverse man and new husband invited to White House

Tim LaCroix, a member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in Michigan, and his new husband will be at the White House on Thursday for a Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month reception.

LaCroix and Gene Barfield were the first same-sex couple who were married under tribal law. They will be driving 800 miles each way to get to the nation's capitol for the event.

"We're going to get in our truck this coming week and drive from Michigan to Washington," Bayfield, who is non-Indian, told The Petoskey News-Review.

So far, four tribes recognize same-sex unions: the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in Michigan, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians in Michigan, the Coquille Tribe of Oregon and the Suquamish Tribe of Washington.

The Navajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation, the two largest tribes, do not recognize same sex-marriage.

Get the Story:
Michigan's first gay couple, married by Odawa tribe, invited to White House (The Petoskey News-Review 6/10)
First gay couple married in Michigan headed to White House reception (MLive 6/8)

Related Stories
Supreme Court ruling could affect tribal same-sex marriages (05/09)
Little Traverse Bay Bands recognize first same-sex marriage (03/18)

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