Navajo Head Vetoes
Gay Marriage Measure
By AP from the
washingtonpost.com on the Web. May 2, 2005
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. May 1 --
The president of the Navajo Nation vetoed a measure Sunday that would have
banned same-sex marriage on the Indian reservation.
The Tribal Council voted unanimously last month to pass legislation that
restricts a recognized union to a relationship between a man and a woman, and
prohibits plural marriages as well as marriages between close relatives.
Supporters said the goal was to promote Navajo family values and preserve the
sanctity of marriage.
President Joe Shirley Jr. said in a statement released Sunday that he strongly
supports family stability but the proposed measure said nothing about domestic
violence, sexual assault and gangs on the Navajo Nation -- problems that are
rampant.
"Same-sex marriage is a non-issue on Navajoland," he said. "So why waste
time and resources on it? We have more important issues to address."
Shirley said the measure also goes against the Navajo teaching of
nondiscrimination and doing no psychological or physical harm to others.
However, Shirley said if members of the tribe wanted to take a position for or
against same-sex unions, he would support their decision to do so through an
initiative rather than a Tribal Council vote.
There was no answer to a call placed to the council speaker's office late
Sunday.
The Navajo Nation, which has more than 180,000 residents, spans parts of
Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Same-sex marriages are not allowed in any of
those states.
Last year, the Cherokee National Tribal Council in Oklahoma voted to define
marriage as between a man and a woman after a lesbian couple successfully filed
for a tribal marriage application.
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