Editorial: Tribe leading way to marriage equality in Oklahoma

Oklahoma City residents Darren Black Bear and Jason Pickel were granted a marriage license last week through the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribal Court and plan to wed on Oct. 31, thanks to the tribal law’s lack of specificity defining marriage, according to NBC News.

Tribal law requires that both spouses be of Native American descent and live within the jurisdiction of the tribe in order to be issued a marriage certificate according to Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribes spokeswoman Lisa Liebl (previously reported by MSNBC).

While the bigger picture here is a civil rights issue, it is a state issue as well. It isn’t fair that these men were able to get a marriage license because of their descent. What about all of the other gay Oklahoman couples who aren’t native American?