Houston residents vote to repeal anti-discrimination laws

The city of Houston has voted to abolish a civil rights ordinance that would have been a landmark anti-discriminatory measure protecting gay and transgender Houstonians, among others.

After yesterday’s referendum (November 3), Proposition 1 – or Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) – was rejected by a vote of 61% to 39%.

Prop1

But Houston mayor Annise Parker, who is a lesbian and one of the biggest supporters of Prop 1, said the fight isn’t over, reported the Associated Press. Parker said, “I guarantee that justice in Houston will prevail. This ordinance, you have not seen the last of. We’re united. We will prevail.”

The contentious measure, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of 15 categories, was approved by the Houston City Council in 2014. After a lawsuit the Texas Supreme Court ordered the city to either repeal the ordinance or put it to a public vote.

In the last few months, HERO opponents have been hard at work trying to convince voters that the law would pave the way for sexual predators to enter public bathrooms under the guise of transgender protections – a move supporters have called a scare tactic.

The ordinance has received high-profile support from the likes of Hillary Clinton, Matt Bomer and Sally Field, as well as the White House and tech company Apple.

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