Oregon’s Coquille Tribe Recognizes Gay Marriage

Kitzen Doyle was only 14 and Jeni Branting was 16, when they first met, and Jeni is the only person Kitzen has ever dated. In 2001 they became engaged and Kitzen legally changed her last name to Branting in 2005.

Even with the thought it may never legally be recognized by the state or the federal government, the two had planned to marry.

Now, thanks to a historic decision by the Coquille Indian Tribe, the two will exchange vows in May of 2009 and they will be recognized as a married couple by the tribal government. The Coquille is the first Native American tribe to officially sanction same-sex marriage.

Find out more about the tribe by clicking here.

The tribe’s decision will only apply to the benefits and rights afforded to tribe members. Jeni Branting, now 27, isn’t a tribe member at this point, so she doesn’t have access to the health care programs and other opportunities afforded to members, but once they are married, they will both be fully recognized as Coquille Indians by the tribe.

The Coquille tribe, along with eight other federally recognized governments in Oregon, are sovereign nations. These nations are exempt from some local and state laws and permitted, to build casinos, even though the state constitution makes casinos illegal otherwise.