"Why is [same-sex marriage] such a hot-button issue for the Cherokees, as it would be for any other Native American tribe? When our son came out, one of the first places I went to ask questions was �the stomp grounds.�

This is where the traditional Cherokee worship, and I wanted to know what the elders and leaders there said about someone being gay. What I learned was that these wise elders said nothing.

Homosexuality was not important to the definition of an individual, they said. Certainly opposite-gender sexual relationships were the most common form, but same-sex couples were not unknown.

These gay couples existed, were recognized, and were an accepted part of society.

Get the Story:
Joyce Rock: Baptists taught Cherokee bigotry (The Southern Voice 10/1)

Relevant Links:
Cherokee Nation - http://www.cherokee.org

Related Stories:
Cherokee couple fights tribe's same-sex marriage ban (06/28)
Cherokee Nation couple denied right to marry (06/16)
Cherokee Nation council votes to ban gay marriage (6/15)
Few Oklahoma tribes have same-sex marriage rule (05/19)
Cherokee Nation seeking to ban same-sex marriage (5/17)