On the Reservation, U.S. Indians Debate Gay Unions

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On the Reservation, U.S. Indians Debate Gay Unions
Fri Mar 18, 8:04 AM ET
By Adam Tanner

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - On American Indian reservations, some tribes are debating whether they should embrace gay marriage or shun such unions as an affront to family values.

The controversy in these often-ignored sovereign territories within the United States comes as Americans in general are divided, often bitterly, over same-sex weddings. The controversy made headlines again this week as a judge ruled that California's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional.

"What goes on in Indian nations now is a microcosm of what is going on across the country," said David Cornsilk, a Cherokee representing two lesbians in the most prominent case before an American Indian court.

The latest California ruling also came weeks after a legislator in Navajo Nation, the largest and most populous Indian reservation, called for a ban on gay marriage.

More: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=602&ncid=602&e=1&u=/nm/20050318/lf_nm/rights_gays_indians_dc