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Aug 12, 2011
Heather Purser – Photo: Courtesy
Standing up before dozens of Suquamish Tribal members at a general council meeting in March, Heather Purser told them she was a lesbian and asked her people to recognize same-sex marriages at the tribe’s Washington state reservation.
Even after four years of lobbying tribal members, the 28-year-old didn’t know how much support she had.
“When I turned around to sit back down I was shaking,” Purser recalled.
Then the council put the issue to a voice vote of the people. “Everyone said aye. No one said nay,” Purser said.
On Aug. 1, the Suquamish Tribal Council ratified the people’s wishes and recognized gay marriage, making it only the second tribe in the country known to have done so.
The new law allows the tribal court to issue a marriage license to two unmarried people, regardless of their sex, if they’re at least 18 years old and at least one of them is enrolled in the tribe.
