Coquille First Tribe in the Country to Recognize Same-Sex Marriage

Kitzen Branting, 25, a member of the Coquille Indian Tribe on the southern Oregon coast, will wed her long-time companion, Jeni Brantings, next spring in what may be the first tribally sanctioned same-sex marriage in the country. In May, the Coquille adopted a law that recognizes same-sex marriage and extends to gay and lesbian partners, at least one of whom must be a Coquille, all tribal benefits of marriage. The tribe’s law runs afoul of Oregon state law and federal law, neither of which recognizes same-sex marriage. Read more about it here.