Seattle Indian chief's tribe recognizes gay marriage

The Saquamish Indian tribe, whose reservation is located near Seattle, Washington, has recognized gay marriage, becoming the second tribe in America to do so.

The tribal council voted to extend the right to marry on the reservation to members of the same sex, which was supported by more than 100 tribal members.

The new law allows a tribal court to issue a marriage license to couples, regardless of gender, as long as they are 18 years old and at least one of them is a member of the tribe.

It depends on other judicial authorities whether the union, approved on the basis of the regulations of the Saquamish tribe, will be recognized in other parts of the state of Washington, where gay marriage is not yet recognized by law, explained the lawyer of the tribe, Michael Hansen.

The state of Washington allows same-sex marriages of couples from that US state to be recognized by competent authorities of other nations.

The so-called "everything but marriage" regulation was also approved, which gave many rights to gay couples.

The change in law by the Saquamish tribe came after a four-year campaign by their member, 28-year-old Heather Parser.

“I wanted to be accepted in my tribe. I expected the fight to be tough and ugly, but I was surprised. I guess I expected the worst from people, from my people," said Parser, who at the age of 16 decided to launch a campaign for the recognition of gay marriage.

The Saquamish tribe has about 1.000 members and its members live an hour from Seattle, a city named after their member, Chief Seattle, the leader of a confederation of tribes in the first half of the 19th century.

The Coquille Indian tribe on the northern coast of Oregon also recognized same-sex marriage in 2008, but most tribes rejected it, including the largest, the Navajo Indians.

Gay marriage is legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.