Mississippi Town Refuses Permit For Pride Parade

The Mississippi city of Starkville on Tuesday voted to deny a permit for an LGBT Pride parade and related events.

Aldermen voted 4-3 to deny the event permit, the Starkville Daily News reported.

Starkville Pride, an LGBT support group, had sought the permit. Organizers said that they wanted to hold a parade to show the strength of the city's LGBT community.

Sixteen people spoke to aldermen in favor of the event, while two spoke against it, the AP reported.

The denial left some members of the group in tears. None of the four aldermen who voted against the event gave an explanation.

Bailey McDaniel, one of the organizers, said Wednesday that Roberta Kaplan has agreed to represent the group in a possible lawsuit. Kaplan represented Edie Windsor before the Supreme Court in her challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibited federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of same-sex couples. She also represented plaintiffs who challenged Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage.

“The parade is integral because it shows the community that we're here, we're not going anywhere, you see us in everyday life,” said McDaniel, a student at Mississippi State University in Starkville.

Mayor Lynn Spruill called the outcome disappointing.

“I think it creates a view of the city of Starkville as noninclusive, and I happen to think we are an inclusive community,” Spruill said of the decision. “We value diversity.”