Dallas gay couple files non-discrimination claim against Dallas Morning News

Mark Reed-Walkup and Dante Walkup, a Dallas area gay couple, announced today that they have filed a non-discrimination claim against the Dallas Morning News for the newspaper’s refusal to run their wedding announcement.

The couple, married December 10th in a ceremony at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, placed and paid for a wedding announcement in the Dallas Morning News, 365Gay.com Reports.

However, Jim Moroney, chief executive and publisher of the Dallas Morning News, refused to run the couple’s announcement, citing Texas’ discriminatory law barring gay couples from legal, civil marriage in the state.

The couple filed a complaint on December 27, 2010, with the city of Dallas’ Fair Housing Office due to the newspaper’s violation of Chapter 46 “Unlawful Discriminatory Practices Relating to Sexual Orientation,” which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing, employment and public accommodations.