Heather Purser is an

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

advocate, diver, and member of the Suquamish tribe in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. She is known for pioneering

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

rights for her tribe, making the Suquamish tribe the second Native American tribe to amend their laws to recognize same-sex marriage, the first being the Oregon Coquille tribe. Purser is openly

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

and came out during her teens.

Same-sex marriage

Around 2009, Purser began approaching her tribal leaders to ask them about recognizing same-sex marriage, making her the first to do so within her tribe. She did not seek assistance for her efforts, as she worried that others were unconcerned with same-sex marriage rights and would not be interested in helping her. In March 2011, Purser attended a tribal meeting where approximately 300 of her fellow tribes people were in attendance to again ask for recognition of same-sex marriage. Her request was met with an "enthusiastic yes", which led to tribe officials unanimously voting to legally recognize same-sex marriage in August 2011. For her efforts, Purser was recognized by Seattle mayor

Michael McGinn Michael McGinn (born December 17, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as mayor of the city of Seattle, Washington, and is a neighborhood activist and a former State Chair of the Sierra Club. In what was characterized as a "s ...

during the city's annual Human Rights day celebration on February 16, 2012. A month prior, Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire heralded Purser as a role model and inspiration. Gregoire would later use Purser's story during a 2012 news conference to introduce similar legislation for the state of Washington. Purser was invited to the conference and was able to speak with the governor. Later that year, the

Greater Seattle Business Association The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) is an LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce based in Seattle, Washington. The majority of the organization's membership are small businesses located throughout the Puget Sound area. The association's stated ...

(GBSA) granted Purser the Business and Humanitarian award for "voice of social justice."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purser, Heather Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Native Americans American underwater divers Haskell Indian Nations University alumni LGBT Native Americans LGBT rights activists from Washington (state) Native American activists Activists for Native American rights Suquamish people 21st-century Native American women American women civil rights activists