Gay pride
organizers in Minnesota's Twin Cities area are suing the
Star Tribune newspaper, the state's
largest daily, for refusing to run an ad publicizing
their event. The lawsuit stems from a complaint pride
organizers filed with the Minneapolis Civil Rights
Commission in 2004, when the paper refused to print an
ad featuring two men kissing as a promotion for the
2004 pride festival.
At the time, organizers claimed the paper
applied different standards to gay-themed content,
since the paper prints ads featuring heterosexual
couples kissing. The complaint also alleged the paper
retaliated against the organizers by later refusing to
print all subsequent ads regardless of content and
failed to make good on its promise to be an event sponsor.
Now, two years after the first complaint, which
the Civil Rights Commission ruled it did not have
jurisdiction over, organizers are suing the Star
Tribune directly. They filed their case in
Hennepin County district court on Friday.
A spokesman for the newspaper, Ben Taylor, said
the Star Tribune stands by its decisions and expects
to prevail in court. The pride organizers are hoping
for an out-of-court settlement.
This year's Twin Cities pride festival
begins Friday and ends Sunday. (Sirius OutQ News)
