Gay couple circumvents same-sex marriage ban in Oklahoma

A gay couple in Oklahoma found a way to bypass the state's same-sex marriage ban by obtaining a marriage license from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes on October 18. Since state laws do not apply on sovereign Native-American land, Jason Pickel called the tribe after the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act to inquire if he and his boyfriend Darren Black Bear could get married. Both Pickel and Black Bear are members of the tribe and the marriage was allowed because the tribe's legal code does not specify gender.