![]() Though supporters of the Diné Marriage Act have cited concerns over preserving Navajo tradition, what constitutes Navajo tradition has also been a subject of debate. This means that we remember our inclusion of our LGBTQ2 ( Two-Spirit) relatives.” “We privilege and we prize our kin relationships. “Our matrilineal system recognizes that kin relationships are the building blocks of our nation and our relationships,” she told CNN. vetoed the legislation, calling same-sex marriage on the Navajo Nation a “non-issue” and the ban discriminatory, but the council ultimately overrode the veto.) ![]() But according to Denetdale, some Navajos were surprised that the council felt such legislation was necessary. ![]() Jennifer Denetdale, professor and chair of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, said that the Diné Marriage Act was enacted during a moment when broader American society appeared to be concerned about the preservation of the nuclear family. In 2005, the Navajo Nation Council passed the Diné Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman and declared same-sex marriage “void and prohibited.” Its sponsor characterized the law as promoting family values and preserving Navajo tradition. While at least 37 tribal nations have marriage equality laws on the books, others - including the Navajo Nation - explicitly prohibit it. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, the Navajo Nation and other federally recognized tribes are sovereign and not bound by the court’s decision. Though the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Navajo leaders banned same-sex marriage in 2005 “It supports our LGBTQ relatives, as our nations always have since time immemorial.” “It sends a message of inclusiveness across Indian Country and the United States - that the largest target tribal nation in the country stands on the right side of history,” he added. And if it passes, he added, it could have a ripple effect on Indigenous nations in the US. If the bill clears the committee stage, Nelson said he expects it to go before the full council in mid-October. Meanwhile, key Navajo leaders have voiced support for the measure. The legislation has cleared three committees and faces just one more before it can go before the full council. In June, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Seth Damon introduced a bill to repeal the prohibition on same-sex marriage. “When it comes to having a marriage certificate, that’s something that we will not obtain until that marriage certificate says ‘the Navajo Nation’ on it,” Nelson, executive director of Navajo Nation Pride and an executive assistant to Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, told CNN. So despite a lifelong commitment to each other, they don’t plan to marry until the ban is lifted. But the reservation is home, and they feel there’s no other place for them to go. The two could have married in another jurisdiction and moved somewhere that recognizes the rights of LGBTQ couples. Same-sex marriage is banned on the Navajo Nation, the sprawling reservation that spans Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Unlike straight married couples, however, they can’t benefit from each other’s insurance, file taxes jointly or build a house together on tribal land. They wear wedding rings and refer to each other as husbands. Alray Nelson and his partner Brennen Yonnie are married in all but name. ![]()
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