Mississippi Town Settles Lawsuit With LGBT Group Over Pride Parade
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | May 27, 2018
A Mississippi town has agreed to settle a lawsuit with an LGBT group over the town's initial denial of permission for a Pride parade.
Under the terms of the settlement, the city of Starkville will pay $12,750 in fees for attorneys representing Starkville Pride in the lawsuit and issue a proclamation in October in support of LGBT History Month, the Commercial Dispatch reported.
The city agreed to the terms on Friday.
Starkville's first-ever LGBT Pride parade took place on March 24 and attracted nearly 3,000 people. But city officials at first attempted to block the event, voting 4-3 in February to deny a permit to the newly-formed Starkville Pride for the event. The group responded by filing a federal lawsuit against the city claiming discrimination. During a March meeting, the city reversed course. The vote was a tie, with one abstention. Mayor Lynn Spruill – a vocal supporter of Starkville Pride – cast the deciding vote.
Spruill also said she would regularly meet with a liaison from the city's LGBT community.