Starkville, Mississippi Mayor Makes Brave Stand For LGBT Equality, Vetoes Repeal Of Gay-Rights Measures: VIDEO| Gay News | Towleroad

Starkville, Mississippi Mayor Parker Wiseman is standing up to bigoted and spineless members of the city's Board of Aldermen who are intent on repealing historic gay-rights initiatives approved last year.

Starkville, which has a population of 24,000 and sits adjacent to Mississippi State University, became the first city in the state to approve a statement of support for LGBT equality in January — and the first to extend benefits to the domestic partners of employees in September.

WynnBut those policies have been under fire ever since from anti-LGBT members of the city's Board of Aldermen, who initially voted to repeal domestic partner benefits two weeks later — claiming they didn't realize the new insurance policy they approved had included them. After Wiseman vetoed the repeal, Alderman Lisa Wynn (right) walked out of a meeting, leaving the anti-LGBT coalition one member short of the five-vote supermajority needed to override the mayor's decision.

Now Wynn reportedly has flip-flopped again — joining a 5-2 majority that voted last Tuesday to repeal both policies during a three-hour closed door meeting with no public input, scrutiny or record of how members voted. In a letter vetoing the latest repeal effort on Friday, Wiseman called out the aldermen, listing how they voted and eloquently defending the policies.

Starkville, Mississippi Mayor Makes Brave Stand For LGBT Equality, Vetoes Repeal Of Gay-Rights Measures: VIDEO| Gay News | Towleroad

Starkville resolution backs gay equality | The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com

Starkville became the first city in Mississippi to pass a resolution supporting the LGBT community, a move approved during its Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night.

The resolution states that the city does not condone discrimination of any kind, including any against its citizens for their sexual orientation or gender identity.

There was no discussion about the item labeled on the board’s consent agenda as “consideration of a resolution supporting equality.”

Instead of loud opposition or dissent, history was made in Mississippi with a simple vote of “yea.”

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“We felt that it’s important to make it clear in a written document adopted by the Board of Aldermen that absolutely no discrimination is tolerated by the city of Starkville,” Wiseman said Wednesday in a phone interview with The Clarion-Ledger.

Starkville resolution backs gay equality | The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com