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Lawsuit filed against Mississippi adoption ban
Melissa Grove
Black Tie Dinner announces entertainment and awards
Black Tie Dinner held a reception at Park Place Motors on Aug. 6 attended by more than 1,000 people to announce the entertainment and award winners for its Nov. 14 dinner. Legacy Counseling Center Executive Director Melissa Grove will receive the Kuchling Award for service to the community. As co-chair John Lawrimore said, “Everyday, Melissa saves lives in our community.” The Elizabeth Birch Award will be presented to The Trevor Project, the LGBT teen suicide hotline. Comedian Dana Goldberg who entertained at last year’s dinner and helped with the live auction will serve as emcee for the evening. The string quartet Well Strung, singer/songwriter Betty Who and country singer Ty Herndon will perform. U.S. Supreme Court marriage-equality case winner Jim Obergefell will be back in Dallas as Black Tie Dinner Distinguished guest. — David Taffet
Alex Long recognized for volunteerism, earns Resource Center $1,000 grant
The Allstate Foundation honored local Allstate Insurance agency owner Alex Long with the Agency in Hands in the Community Award for his volunteer work at Resource Center. The award also came with a $1,000 grant for the Center’s programming. The foundation honors Allstate agency owners who volunteer in their community. To be eligible for nomination, they must be involved with a nonprofit of their choice. Long has volunteered with the Resource Center’s Gaybingo program for the past eight years, serving regularly as a sponsor. He volunteers at the Resource Center because he lost so many friends to HIV and AIDS. “The work they do is important,” he said. “And I’m proud to give back.” Congratulations, Alex! — James Russell
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dallasvoice.com
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08.14.15
Mississippi is the last state that has a ban on same-sex couples adopting. Attorney Robbie Kaplan, who represented Edie Windsor in her fight against the Defense of Marriage Act and represented Mississippi couples in their fight against their state’s marriage ban, filed the lawsuit. “We like to finish what we started,” Kaplan tweeted. On its website, the Campaign for Southern Equality wrote: The case, Campaign for Southern Equality v. Mississippi Department of Human Services, was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on behalf of four samesex couples: Kari Lunsford and Tinora Sweeten-Lunsford, who are seeking to adopt a child; Brittany Rowell and Jessica Harbuck, also seeking to adopt; Donna Phillips and Janet Smith, parents to a young daughter; and Kathryn Garner and Susan Hrostowski, who have a 15-year-old son. Two organizations — the Campaign for Southern Equality and Family Equality Council — join the case as plaintiffs representing the LGBT families across Mississippi. — David Taffet
Keller ISD nondiscrimination ordinance up for vote
The Keller Independent School District school board voted on Aug. 13 on whether to amend the district’s nondiscrimination policy to protect students and employees from bullying, discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Administrators with the district in northeast Tarrant County crafted it after a lesbian student alleged discrimination based on her sexual orientation by school administrators earlier this year. Two trustees, Jo Lynn Haussmann and Brad Schofield — backed by anti-LGBT activists — oppose the measure. In a Facebook post, Haussman wrote the ordinance would “take away [students’] rights and morality.” She then linked to a radio post from the fundamentalist Christian group WallBuilders. On a radio show this morning, Brad Schofield slammed his fellow trustees for being “too liberal.” Conservative groups opposed to the ordinance urged members to attend the meeting and voice opposition to the measure, even those who don’t live in the school district and would not be impacted by it. In an email, the conservative Northeast Tarrant County Tea Party called the ordinance part of the LGBT “agenda” which is “spreading like cancer” and suggests the policy would “fundamentally change America.” It also warns against “unintended consequences, requiring mixed gender bathroom and locker room use as well as explicit sexual orientation education at all school age groups from K–12.” Proponents of the ordinance request attendees wear blue and green; bring flags or signs of support to wave at the entrance or silently in back of the room. “Be respectful at all times,” reads a notice from Fairness Fort Worth. “We aren’t the circus act in the room; they are.” — James Russell