Heather Puser

Heather Purser, a Suquamish activist and seafood diver from Washington, advocated for her tribal council to accept same-sex marriages before the state or the country did — and she won. In August 2011, her tribe became the second to give same-sex couples on its reservation marriage rights. After the unanimous vote in favor of the measure, Purser told the AP, “I wanted to feel accepted by my tribe. I was expecting a fight to be ugly. But I was so shocked. I guess I was expecting the worst out of people.

” Everybody voted in favor of the measure — there was no debate or dissent. In a 2015 interview, Purser told Indian Country Today that she definitely should’ve expected the best, recalling “It was very humbling, and I felt very honored. It was completely in flow with the values I’ve always observed with the Suquamish people.”

To her surprise, the seven councilmembers approved the new law immediately.

The flip side is that the rights granted by the law don’t have a broader reach beyond areas within tribal jurisdiction. But on the reservation, gay couples now have the same rights as straight ones: A gay couple can be married by a tribal leader as long as one partner is an enrolled citizen of that tribe. The couple can then receive tribal health care coverage, and can adopt. The law also makes it possible for a non-Native spouse to remain in tribal housing if the Native partner passes away.

“This is a small step in changing the way LGBT people are viewed on the reservation,” Purser said. “I hope that kids who are questioning their identity, and then their rights, will not be as fearful or ashamed as I had felt. The changing of the law was necessary not only for legal purposes, but to create an environment of greater love and acceptance among the Suquamish people.”

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Photo by: Cameron Karsten

Indian Country Today

Learn more at : https://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/making-it-home/same-sex-marriage-brings-healing-to-me-and-my-tribe