Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Starkville Board Of Aldermen

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A federal lawsuit claims hostility towards the LGBT community is the sole reason Starkville Aldermen denied a request for a Pride parade to be held in the city.

Noted civil rights attorney Roberta Kaplan says in the filing that Starkville Pride met every requirement in its permit application.

The suit says essentially each of the 88 parade permits requested since 2010 have been approved.

It also points out that during the discussion with the public before the vote, every comment centered on the sexual orientation of the organizers and no questions about logistics or costs to the city were asked.

Kaplan says Aldermen Carver, Perkins, Little and Vaughan all voted against the permit but made no comments during the open debate.

The suit wants the city to reverse its decision and if that doesn’t happen in a timely manner, it wants a federal judge to grant an injunction allowing the March 24th parade to take place.

Read the full suit here: STARKVILLE PRIDE SUIT