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Darren Black Bear and his partner are getting legally married in Oklahoma even though the state bans same-sex marriage.

How? His bloodline.

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Black Bear and his partner of nine years, Jason Pickel, plan to walk each other down the aisle on Oct. 31, surrounded by family and friends, before signing a marriage license granted by the Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes. Black Bear, 45, is a member of the Oklahoma-based tribe, which is among the few Native American tribes in the U.S. that allow same-sex marriage.

Like all federally recognized tribes, the Cheyenne Arapaho may approve laws for its land and members. Its code regarding marriage doesn’t address gender, referring to the parties simply as “Indians,” and requires that one person be a member of the tribe and reside within its jurisdiction.

Gay marriage is legal in 14 U.S. states, most recently New Jersey, along with the District of Columbia.

But in 2004, three-quarters of Oklahoma voters supported an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.