Navajo up in arms

Navajo on the war path over gay rights charter

The days of smoke signals and beating drums may be long gone, but the ancient Navajo nation is incensed with a collection of bureaucrats 5,000 miles away in Britain.

leaflet promoting the 'Navajo charter mark'
An extract from a leaflet promoting the 'Navajo charter mark'

Councils, police, health trusts and the probation service are all using the tribe's name to promote the "well-being" of gay men, lesbians and bisexuals.

More than 100 organisations have obtained the Navajo charter mark under a scheme set up to ensure that they are "gay-friendly".

The project's supporters say the name was chosen because the Navajo traditionally believed that homosexuals had "special spiritual powers", and afforded them a "unique" status in society, where they were "admired and honoured for their sexuality".

The native Americans, however, are furious. Their attorney-general has written a letter, passed to The Sunday Telegraph, expressing "great concern".

And why shouldn't they be? Warriors, Fighting Souix, Indians, Chiefs, Braves, ...these ring a bell? Sports teams have been coming under attack for years for having the gaul to use anything associated with American Indians. And these are team names which to me are masculine terms, strong names, intimidating, and to be worn with pride when it comes to teams. But to appease the sensitive, many fought and in some instances succeeded in getting these names changed.

Now, those who are the biggest advocates for sensitivity and feelings to come out and dare to use the Navajo name to promote the "well-being" of gay/lesbian and bisexuals?