GAINESVILLE, Fla.
Voters in this university city went to the polls Tuesday in an election that could strip the local government’s anti-discrimination protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents.
The fight began after the city commission last year revised Gainesville’s anti-discrimination ordinance to protect transgender people, those who are born one sex but identify with the other. That allows the city’s approximately 100 transgender residents to use the public restroom of their choosing, along with protecting them from job and housing discrimination.
The charter amendment on Tuesday’s ballot would void the city’s ordinances barring discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Those supporting repeal say their message has remained consistent: “Keep men out of women’s restrooms!”
“That’s our motive, plain and simple,” said Jim Gilbert, a spokesman for Citizens for Good Public Policy.
On the other side, a group known as Equality is Gainesville’s Business is campaigning for a “no” vote on Charter Amendment 1. It argues that the city ordinance does not need amending and that the transgender argument is really a screen for a larger attack on sexual minorities. Home to the University of Florida, Gainesville is generally considered a gay-friendly city surrounded by conservative north Florida.
