Gay marriage remains banned in Native American tribal lands although it was legalized in the United States. Slovenia also rejects same-sex union to uphold traditional family values.
Although gay marriage is already legal in the US, it is not accepted in majority of sovereign Native American tribal lands. The Navajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma are two of the largest Native American tribes in the US that have laws banning gay marriage.
According to The Federalist Papers, nine other smaller tribes consisting of 350,000 members uphold anti-same-sex marriage laws. These tribes clearly defined that marriage is appropriate only between a man and a woman and not between parties of the same gender.
However, Title 6 of Chickasaw tribal law does not exclude same-sex couples from "entering written contracts" with each other. Other tribes maintain a neutral stance on the matter. Their laws refer to heterosexual couples as "man and woman", "husband and wife", and/or "unmarried male and unmarried female."
The Washington Times reported that Cleo Pablo of the Ak-Chin Indian Community left her tribal home and sued her tribe in court. The Ak-Chin Indian Community does not allow gay marriages, preventing Pablo from marrying her wife.
"I want equal opportunity," said Pablo. "I want what every married couple has." Ann Tweedy, associate professor at Hamline University School of Law in Minnesota, said that tribes have their own sovereignty. These sovereign nations are entitled to implement their own laws without being subject to the US Constitution.
As the cultural battle of legalizing gay marriage continues, more countries are taking action on whether to officially recognize the marital union of same-sex couples or not. The Guardian reported that Slovenia joined the anti-gay marriage band after majority of Slovenians voted against same-sex marriage.
Only 36.5% of Slovenia's population were in favor of gay marriage while 63.5% rejected it. In March, the leftist government of Slovenia presented a bill where marriage is defined as a union of two adults. It was part of the government's campaign for marriage equality in Slovenia.
However, the Slovenian opposition was determined to protect traditional family values. Through a group called "Children Are At Stake", they collected 40,000 signatures voting against same-sex marriage. Ales Primc, the group's leader, said that the result was a victory for their children. Mechanic Gregor Jerovsek from Ljubljana added that "the family should not be a field for experimentation" and "a traditional family should remain the key value of our society."
United Left party lawmaker Violeta Tomic said that the referendum results were only temporary. "It's not over yet," Tomic said. "Sooner or later the law will be accepted."
Gay marriage has been legalized in many Western countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, England, Spain, South Africa, Uruguay, and the US. It was reported that majority of millennials were in favor of same-sex unions.
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