WINDOW ROCK - Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. vetoed a measure Sunday that would have outlawed same-sex marriage on the Indian reservation that reaches into New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

"Same-sex marriage is a non-issue on Navajoland," Shirley said. "So why waste time and resources on it? We have more important issues to address."

If members of the Navajo Nation wish to define marriage or take a position for or against same-sex unions, Shirley said he would support their decision to do that through an initiative rather than a Tribal Council vote.

Read President Shirley's Press Release

Research Help on this Subject: Articles on the Navajo Nation President's veto of the Dine Marriage Act of 2005 were published in the Arizona Republic and Indian Country Today in May 2005. You can also check Indianz.com links on this subject for more resources.