The Oglala Sioux Tribe closed the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to all non-residents for non-essential travel, though vehicles could pass through without stopping. The Bureau of Indian Affairs Pine Ridge Agency is located in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, provides services to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, which boasts an enrollment of 46,855 members. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation consists of approximately 2.1 million acres and it is located in the southwest portion of the state and occupies areas in Oglala.
The Oglala Sioux tribal council passed a law against LGBTQ+ hate crimes, making it likely the first Native nation in the U.S. to do so, Indian Country Today reports.
Hate crimes committed by people in the Oglala Sioux Tribe are now punishable by up to one year in jail. The new law is modeled on a federal hate crime law: the Matthew Shepherd and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Protection Act of 2009.
The Oglala Sioux reservation is in South Dakota, a state that doesn't specifically protect LGBTQ+ folks in its hate crime laws. But federally recognized Native tribes are considered 'domestic dependent nations' and therefore have some autonomy to create their own laws. In July 2019, the Oglala Sioux Tribe became the first to legalize same-sex marriage.
A lesbian couple of the Oglala Sioux Tribe lobbied for the new laws. Monique Mousseau and Felipa DeLeon say they have been repeatedly threatened and 'gay-bashed' by fellow tribal members over their sexuality.
'LGBTQ folks and their families and friends on Pine Ridge often contact us for support and advice after their loved ones are attacked or commit suicide,' Mousseau told Indian Country Today. 'Although authorities haven't been keeping data, we know that many suicides on the reservation are related to gay-bashing and shaming.'
Ost Tribal Website
The couple hopes the new hate crime law will help protect LGBTQ+ youth in particular.
Ost Tribal Office
Eon timer 2.7.2 free for mac. 'We need to protect our children,' DeLeon said. 'I have children and grandchildren. I don't know how they will identify themselves when they grow up but I want to know they will be safe.'
Hate crimes committed by people in the Oglala Sioux Tribe are now punishable by up to one year in jail. The new law is modeled on a federal hate crime law: the Matthew Shepherd and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Protection Act of 2009.
The Oglala Sioux reservation is in South Dakota, a state that doesn't specifically protect LGBTQ+ folks in its hate crime laws. But federally recognized Native tribes are considered 'domestic dependent nations' and therefore have some autonomy to create their own laws. In July 2019, the Oglala Sioux Tribe became the first to legalize same-sex marriage.
A lesbian couple of the Oglala Sioux Tribe lobbied for the new laws. Monique Mousseau and Felipa DeLeon say they have been repeatedly threatened and 'gay-bashed' by fellow tribal members over their sexuality.
'LGBTQ folks and their families and friends on Pine Ridge often contact us for support and advice after their loved ones are attacked or commit suicide,' Mousseau told Indian Country Today. 'Although authorities haven't been keeping data, we know that many suicides on the reservation are related to gay-bashing and shaming.'
Ost Tribal Website
The couple hopes the new hate crime law will help protect LGBTQ+ youth in particular.
Ost Tribal Office
Eon timer 2.7.2 free for mac. 'We need to protect our children,' DeLeon said. 'I have children and grandchildren. I don't know how they will identify themselves when they grow up but I want to know they will be safe.'
Tribal Pass - Ost & Art For Macbook Pro
Only 35 out of 573 federally recognized tribes have legalized same-sex marriage.
