"I've long known that about half of America doesn't like gay people. It's been made pretty clear, most recently with the rejection of numerous marriage equality bills, and the approval of anti-gay marriage laws in 37 states. But now, to my dismay, Indian Country is following the white man's lead.

First, the Navajo Nation Council passed a ban on same-sex marriages in June, overriding the veto of Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. The legislation banned marriages between members of the same sex on the nation's largest Indian reservation. Now, justices in a Cherokee Nation courthouse are hearing arguments in the case of a Cherokee couple who wed, received their tribe-issued marriage certificate, and were set to live happily ever after -- that is, until an attorney contested the wedding. That's when everything got complicated."

Get the Story:
Gabriel Duncan: Indian Country follows nation in anti-gay laws (The Athens News 8/15)

Relevant Links:
Cherokee Nation - http://www.cherokee.org
National Center for Lesbian Rights - http://www.nclrights.org
Native Out - http://www/nativeout.com
Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits - http://www.baaits.org
Dine Coalition for Cultural Preservation - http://www.dinecoalition.com

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