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Same-sex marriage unanimously approved!

... for the Suquamish Tribe!In March, 28-year-old Heather Purser brought up the matter in a tribal general council meeting.
The dugout canoes of the Suquamish
The dugout canoes of the Suquamish

... for the Suquamish Tribe!

In March, 28-year-old Heather Purser brought up the matter in a tribal general council meeting. She proposed a council vote, which finally took place yesterday. The result? A unanimous vote in favor of same-sex marriage.

Now, as long as one spouse is an enrolled member of the tribe, same-sex couples can legally marry under Suquamish tribal law.

The Port Madison Indian Reservation is the Suquamish reservation in Washington State (which does not recognize same-sex marriage) and is home to over 6,500 people. Reservations operate as federally recognized sovereign nations, so a same-sex marriage conducted in the Suquamish Tribe is recognized just as a same-sex marriage conducted in New York state is.

The Suquamish Tribe is the second Native-American tribe to legalize same-sex marriage. The Coquille Indian Tribe in Oregon passed their marriage equality ordinance in 2009.