Navajo Head Vetoes Gay Marriage Measure

While it's scary that the Navajor Tribal Council voted unanimously for another of the so-called Defense of Marriage acts making the rounds these days, it's heartening that Joe Shirley stopped it in its tracks.

From an article in the Washington Post:

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- 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.
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For some background on Navajo views about this issue, check out an article that appeared in Indian Country Today when the measure was passed by the Tribal Council. And here's one from the Boston Globe about how Westernized and Christian religious views are changing traditionally more open attitudes on the reservation about homosexuality.