The recent ruling of the Gainesville City Commission to approve an ordinance protecting transgender residents from discrimination at local businesses was not a revolutionary move - the commission is just keeping up with the times.
Cities and counties throughout the country have passed similar ordinances, some even decades ago, and have had little or no backlash from such laws.
And our city should be no different.
In some respects, the commissioners and the mayor should be commended for sticking to their principles of equality for everyone who chooses to live in Gainesville, and for having the courage to stand up for those principles by passing the ordinance.
These commissioners recognized the need for the city to provide the transgender population with protection under the power of law, just as it does for race, religion, sex, age and marital status.
"Transgender" is the term used for a diverse group of people bound together by the fact that they do not identify with the gender they were born with. They include individuals who dress and behave as the opposite sex, and those who have had surgery to change their sex, also known as transsexuals.
Though some estimates put the Gainesville transgender population at a very small minority, that doesn't warrant a dismissal of their concerns as targets of discrimination.
The scores of outraged citizens that attended last week's City Commission meeting to protest the ordinance cited unreasonable fears, including that the law would encourage inappropriate behavior in public restrooms.
It's as if these individuals think transgender people magically materialized in Gainesville once this ordinance was proposed. In reality, transgender individuals have been using public restrooms and other facilities for years. And so far, nothing to justify the opposition's irrational fear has occurred.
Parents who claim to be nervous about their younger children using public restrooms now could quell their worries by simply accompanying their children - which they should have been doing anyway.
While some go as far as to agree that everyone should be treated equally under the law, they still contend that the ordinance places an unfair burden on businesses.
Local business owners, especially those who operate gyms and fitness centers, are openly questioning the ordinance for the impact it may have on their wallets.
They claim that they may encounter some difficulties since the ordinance requires that no one be denied access to facilities based on the fact that they identify with another gender.
Perhaps they haven't read the language of the ordinance in its entirety.
Yes, the ordinance specifically states that a business is only allowed to deny transgender people access to facilities where being seen naked cannot be avoided, provided that access to an equal facility is available.
However, a business would only be compelled to provide alternate accommodations for a transgender customer if those alternatives were "readily available."
This language clearly illustrates that the businesses would not be at an economic disadvantage, especially since shower rooms or locker rooms are exempt from the new city ordinance.
The fact that irate residents are still sending e-mails to those who voted to approve the transgender ordinance speaks volumes about why this ordinance is necessary in Gainesville.
