Advocacy Groups Wary of Wyo. Lawsuit

A federal suit filed by Cheyenne residents David Shupe-Roderick (pictured) and Ryan W. Dupree challenging Wyoming's ban on marriage equality could jeopardize inroads made with state legislators, local gay groups say.

The couple, who filed the suit earlier this month, "do not understand the dynamics of this and are making a rash decision, and it's going to impact us in the long run," Wyoming Equality board member Tim Reid told theCasper Star-Tribune.

Reid and others said they were worried that the lawsuit spectacle might damage their ongoing work with gay rights initiatives in the state, including antidiscrimination laws and adoption rights for same-sex couples.

Shupe-Roderick, a 25-year-old convicted felon who served four years in state prison for stealing a rental car, has a litigious history, having filed five lawsuits over the past three years, from allegations of sexual misconduct at the hands of a prison guard to breach of conduct by a prospective business client.

Bob Warburton, acting president of the Wyoming Stonewall Democrats, called the lawsuit "a sideshow."

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