Navajo Nation Overturns Gay Marriage Ban
Tuesday May 3, 2005
Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. vetoed a vote by the Navajo Tribal Council to ban gay marriage on its reservation. "Same-sex marriage is a non-issue on Navajo land," Shirley said. "So why waste time and resources on it? We have more important issues to address." He went on to say that the Navajo have a tradition of nondiscrimination and this policy went against that. Here's more on the Navajo decision.
Comments
Your headline is very dishonest. Joe Shirly is one man. The Dineh voted UNANIMOUSLY to ban gay marriage in order to STOP white exploitation of our spirituality. You biligana
need to understand that this issue is about tribal sovererignty. The gay community always makes straw man arguments about this to avoid dealing with its own racism. You shouldn’t be so judgemental about things you know nothing about.
We have the right to hold political positions that differ from yours. It’s racist to oversimplify this issue so you look like victims.
Gay marriage is about giving full white privillege to white gays. It has no relevance to our culture. You don’t get to tell us how to think. We have too many life threatening important issues to deal with. Gay marriage is a trivial issue. The “me first” mentality of the LGBT leadership is racist and it divides the so-called progressives. I, for one, will NOT support gay marriage until the gay community cleans up its act, stops being so conservative and stops being concerned only with getting more benefits and money for the richest amont you and starts being concerned with the least powerful in this country for a change. The gay ‘community’ need to stop calling themselves “two-spirits” and claiming to be honored in our communities – that’s bullshit. The Biliganna need to STOP STEALING AND PERVERTING OUR RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES! First, you make an effort to change, then we can talk. Until then, you should listen more and jusge less. If you want to go around talking about how much you’re like NDNZ then you need to learn how to listen to NDNZ. You biligana don’t know anything, but you always think you have such superior politcs.
You need to learn that you are in no position to judge us! You can’t ignore our RAGE much longer!
Ms. Adakai or Adaka, I see your point, but we DID NOT vote unanimously to ban gay marriage, nor was this ban a political stance against the mainstream United States and their romantic views of Navajo tradition. Having grown up Navajo on the reservation in the 80’s and 90’s, I am a registered voter and I was never once allowed to vote on the issue of same-sex marriage. This discriminatory ban was indeed the doing of a few of the all too common money grubbing/laundering tribal officials whom often, unfortunately, share the same conformist, conservative, Christianized social values that many white people have when it comes to religion, same-sex relationships, or anything that clashes with who they are. My parents and the parents of my peers were brainwashed in white Christian boarding schools all around the rez in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s; as a result, we now have a muddy traditional perspective on same-sex relationships, and a few other things, along with a lack of balls to take full advantage of our sovereign status, because we’re too caught up playing the victim. Since you speak of racism Ms. Adaka, it is a complete fact that we, Navajos, have become as racist, homophobic, and self-righteous as the people who taught us these “values”. I, for one, stand 100% behind Navajo Nation president Joe Shirley’s veto of the same sex marriage ban, not because I think we have more important things to worry about, but because it completely boggles my mind how Navajo people whose rights, opportunities, freedoms, and privileges that have been denied for so long could treat another group of people with the same form of indignity, disrespect, and bigotry that we ourselves are still struggling to overcome.
My rage has become inspiration.
Hi All,
I am trying to pull together a team of PRO-LGBT people to help with my LGBT ANTI-DISCRIMINATION Table at the up coming Juneteenth Celebration in Winslow, Az. on June 20th 2009. I have Equality AZ and PFLAG on board and since Winslow has a large Navajo/Hopi population I thought that your help would be really good. Let me know if you and folks that can help or any information you would like handed out at the event.
Your title is incredibly misleading. The Navajo Tribal Council overrode the President’s veto by 3 votes in April, 2005. Same-sex marriage is not recognized in the Navajo Nation.