Gainesville voters will be able to decide in the March 24 election whether city residents should be protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In a unanimous vote Thursday night, the Gainesville City Commission passed a 75-word summary of a proposed amendment to the city charter to go on the March ballot.
The amendment would eliminate the city's anti-discrimination policy, replacing it with the state's, which does not offer protections for gay or transgender people. Because enough signatures were collected to put the proposal to vote, the city was required to draft wording for the question on the ballot.
Commissioners had asked for alternative ballot language at their Nov. 6 meeting.
The original question stated the city's discrimination policy would be eliminated if passed but did not specify that doing so would eliminate protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
About 15 people spoke in favor of or against the alternative ballot language that passed at Thursday's meeting.
Jim Bilbert, who lives just outside city limits, criticized the commission's decision to amend the original language.
"Clearly, you wish to slant wording to create prejudice against it," Bilbert said.
Others felt the alternative proposal was better suited for the voters.
"This language has helped a lot because there was a lot of misleading stuff going on," said resident Bob Harp. "We just want to be as clear as we can for the voters."
Linda Bashum, of the Judy Levy chapter of the National Organization for Women, said she urged the commission to pass the alternative because she thought residents would vote against the amendment if they understood it.
"We think it is only fair to citizens, voters, to know what they're voting on, what's to be gained, what's to be lost," Bashum said.
