Out Spotlight XXXXVI

Today's Spotlight focuses on the Native American tribes and homosexuality.

In Native American history this is recognition of those called Two Spirits which could be seen as homosexuality in their culture. Now one tribe's stepped up to show their support of the gay members of their nation.

In August of this year the Coquille Indian Tribe on the southern coast of Oregon, a recognized federally sovereign nation within the United States, not bound by state of Oregon's constitution, recognize allowing same sex marriage among its members.

"The Coquilles (which tribal leaders prefer to pronounce KO-kwell) are probably the first tribe in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage", said Brian Gilley, a University of Vermont anthropology professor and author of the book, Becoming Two-Spirit: Gay Identity and Social Acceptance in Indian Country.

Because the Coquilles have federal status, a marriage within the tribe would be federally recognized. That would violate the Defence of Marriage Act, a law that says the federal government "may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose."

The federal government could challenge the Coquille law as a way of testing the limits of tribal independence. The tribe has concluded that the Defense of Marriage Act may bar the tribe from conferring federal benefits or money on same-sex spouses, but understand the risks of their actions.

The new law establishes tribal rules for recognizing marriage, whether for gay or heterosexual couples. It will not take effect until the tribe also creates laws for divorce and child custody according to their tribal attorney. The seven-member tribal council expects to adopt such laws next year.

Historically homosexuality have been recognized by many tribes, but the Coquille Nation is the first and tribe to support gay marriage. Both the Cherokee and the Navajo, (the largest Native American tribe)Nations have banned same sex marriages.

The term "Two-Spirit" refers to a belief among some tribes that there are people who manifest both masculine and feminine spiritual qualities. According to Native American scholars, many tribes once revered Two-Spirits, viewing them as a third gender with a special spiritual connectedness. In these tribes, Two-Spirits filled important tribal roles as counselors, storytellers and healers.

This belief, scholars have also observed, has been eroded in many places by the imposition of Judeo-Christian views of homosexuality as sinful.

"Homophobia was taught to us as a component of Western education and religion," Navajo anthropologist Wesley Thomas has written. "We were presented with an entirely new set of taboos, which did not correspond to our own models and which focused on sexual behavior rather than the intricate roles Two-Spirit people played. As a result of this misrepresentation, our nations no longer accepted us as they once had."

Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS) is a six-year-old nonprofit that offers support and activities to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Native Americans. Similar groups exist in Oklahoma, Colorado and Minnesota. BAAITS and other groups are trying to help the Native American Nations to reconnect with Two Spirits and homosexuality within the 800 tribes in the United States.

The Coquille Nation is stepping forward with their acceptance of same sex marriage.

Ken Tanner, chief of the Coquilles said: "Native Americans are sensitive to discrimination of any kind. For our tribe, we want people to walk in the shoes of other people and learn to respect differences. Through that, we think we build a stronger community."