George acknowledged that the oral tradition is cherished among Navajo people and is the widely accepted practice for transferring knowledge and wisdom between generations. “It gets passed down from person to person, you know, mouth to mouth.” “There’s no written history about how the traditional people really did things and what they believed in,” he said. George said he is not familiar with the argument for same-sex marriage based in the history of “two-spirit” people, but he said the Bible’s written prohibition on the homosexual relationships – calling them “an abomination” – is proof enough that the Navajo Nation should not legalize it. “… The issue here is that (same-sex marriage is) an issue that Christians do not believe in. He would not say how many of the churches he called, and he did not provide a list of the churches within the network as of Sunday night. He said he knows that the group of churches all agree with him about same-sex marriage being a sin because he called “enough” of them before the advertisement ran. The churches responded by fundraising and donating necessities, he said. It was paid for by an unnamed group claiming to speak on behalf of 174 Navajo Nation churches, along with a phone number.īobby George, pastor at Trinity Navajo Bible Church, answered that phone last week and told Source New Mexico he was a spokesperson on behalf of 174 churches that banded together first when the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the NavajoNation in 2020. On March 26, the Gallup Independent published a full-page advertisement opposed to same-sex marriage. I ask you not only to think of your people today, but for people of our history and support us all.”
“Our heritage cannot be ignored, it must be remembered. “Our two-spirited ancestors are credited with the invention of many tools, songs and roles in ceremonies,” one such comment reads, from commenter Curtis Berry.
The Navajo refer to these people as “ Nádleehí,” which generally translates to “one who transforms.” Many comments argued the recognition of “two-spirit” people, who simultaneously embody feminine and masculine spirits, is truer to the Navajo culture and society. One form letter, along with dozens of attached signatures, asked that Council delegates, “Vote NO to any form of homosexual matter, behavior, attitude pursuant to the Bible, including same sex marriage.”Ĭomments in favor of same-sex marriage cited the necessity of providing equal rights to individuals regardless of gender or sexuality, and also, in many comments, dismissed the arguments toward banning same-sex marriage as colonialist. Four comments were deemed “comments/recommendations.”Ī Source New Mexico review of the public comments shows many of the arguments opposed to same-sex marriage cited Biblical teachings. Of the public comments, 49 were in favor of recognizing same-sex marriages. About 90 people wrote in with their comments between March 22 and 27, and several area church leaders have circulated petitions during services. Tso didn’t respond to a request for comment.īut the legislation being introduced has renewed a debate on the Navajo Nation and surrounding areas. A spokesperson guessed the bill won’t be heard until this summer or fall. After that, the legislation will be heard in four committees. Once Tso proposed the bill, the legislative process on the Nation required a five-day public comment period. Marriage on the Navajo Nation confers rights to spouses regarding health care and shared property, among other things. So upholding that ban has little effect on same-sex couples. However, the tribe accepts as valid marriage licenses issued outside its boundaries. The Cherokee Nation, for example, which has about 140,000 members living on the Cherokee Nation but reports about 760,000 members nationwide, recently upheld its ban on same-sex marriage. Some have gone along and followed their state laws, while others have upheld their bans or didn’t weigh in on the topic. Since the United States Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that states cannot ban same-sex marriage, tribes have reacted differently. The Navajo Nation’s estimated 173,000 residents are the biggest group of tribal members in the country whose same-sex couples don’t enjoy the same rights as straight couples.