HARBOR SPRINGS, MI – The tribal council of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians is considering an amendment to the tribal constitution that would legalize marriage equality. If the amendment is adopted, the Native American tribe would be the first in Michigan and one of just a few across the nation to legalize gay marriages.

Most of the approximately 4,000- member tribe lives in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. The proposal is currently being debated during a mandatory public comment period.  The tribe’s constitution presently defines marriage as between “one man and one woman.”

The amendment requires that at least one partner in a married same-sex couple be a member of the tribe.