Starkville Pride: Largest Ever Parade in Starkville, MS
On Saturday, March 24, more than 3,000 people took part in Starkville Pride, the first ever Pride parade and the largest ever parade in Starkville.
(photo credit: Logan Kirkland, Starkville Daily News)
Starkville Pride was led by student organizers Bailey McDaniel and Emily Turner. In late February, the City of Starkville denied their permit application simply because it was a LGBTQ event. Bailey, Emily and Starkville Pride quickly filed a federal lawsuit, represented by attorney Roberta Kaplan. Facing legal action, the City reversed itself and granted the permit.
Read more media coverage here.
“This is a testament to the strength and courage of the Starkville LGBTQ community,” said Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara of the Campaign for Southern Equality. “They wouldn’t take no for an answer and then went on to organize the largest parade ever in Starkville. The reality is that LGBTQ people live in every town across Mississippi, and we will keep fighting until they are fully equal and free from discriminatory treatment.”
Trans in the South: A Guide to Services and Resources
In this new edition of Trans in the South, you’ll find lists of trans-friendly service providers – from doctors to attorneys to counselors – across the South as well as resources to assist with funding medical transition. And we’ve significantly expanded resources related to HIV/AIDS services and added resources that offer support services for trans folks. You’ll find the Spanish version – Trans en el Sur – here.
Nationally, data shows that approximately a quarter of transgender people don’t seek out healthcare at all because we fear discrimination.
Southern Equality Fund – 2017 Annual Report
Since 2015, the Campaign for Southern Equality has given out $96,848 in grants to 155 LGBTQ organizers and groups across 12 Southern states!
Mississippi’s HB1523: Updates and Resources
HB1523, the nation’s most sweeping anti-LGBT law, is in effect across Mississippi.
People who experience discrimination can report it to the Campaign for Southern Equality by calling or texting our hotline (828.242.1559), by email (info@southernequality.org), through this online form, or by posting at our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/southernequality). Our team of attorneys, clergy and organizers will respond with support and resources.
The law authorizes Mississippi officials and service providers, such as doctors and store owners, to recuse themselves from serving LGBT individuals on the basis of three specific religious beliefs about gay marriage, transgender individuals, and sex before marriage.
Mississippi is home to 60,000 LGBT adults and an estimated 11,400 transgender youth and adults, according to 2016 data published by the Williams Institute at the U.C.L.A. School of Law. The state is also home to 3,500 same-sex couples, 29 percent of whom are raising children—the highest rate in the nation.
