The city of Starkville on Tuesday formally acknowledged a civil lawsuit filed in federal court by a local grassroots group after the city’s Board of Aldermen voted against granting an event permit for the city’s first gay pride parade.
The city of Starkville filed a waiver of the service of summons in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi's Eastern Division, which in effect acknowledges the lawsuit without the city having to be formally summoned.
In the court documents, City Attorney Chris Latimer says the city has received the documents filed by the LGBT grassroots group Starkville Pride and agrees to waive the expense of serving a summons and complaint in this case.
In the filing, Latimer says the city acknowledges it must file and serve an answer or a motion within 60 days.
Starkville Pride filed the motion for preliminary injunction of the Board of Aldermen's vote on Feb. 20 and is requesting the permit application to be granted. The motion also asks the city to provide in-kind services for a parade to be held on March 24 in downtown Starkville.
The Starkville Board of Aldermen approved the motion to deny the request with a 4-3 vote.
Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver, Ward 3 Alderman David Little, Vice Mayor and Ward 6 Alderman Roy A’. Perkins and Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn voted in favor of denying the request.
District Judge Sharion Aycock will preside over the case.
Starkville Pride is represented by attorney Roberta A. Kaplan, of Kaplan & Company, LLP, who has worked on many high-profile cases involving LGBT rights.
The group claims the decision by the Board of Aldermen to block the gay pride parade is in direct violation of the member's rights to free speech and equal protection under the law.