Toting signs that said "Vote no on 1" and "Equality for all," about 55 Gainesville residents marched Friday near the intersection of Northwest Eighth Avenue and Northwest 34th Street.
The protesters opposed Charter Amendment 1, which would remove Gainesville's existing discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, said Shelbi Day, a marcher and the director of communications and media for Equality is Gainesville's Business, which opposes the amendment.
The march, which went along Northwest 8th Avenue for about 15 minutes followed by a sign-holding demonstration at the intersection, included Gainesville parents, children, church members, faculty and students.
Day said the march aimed to let locals know that Gainesville says "no" to discrimination.
On the other hand, Micanopy resident Troy Blakely, who held a sign in favor of the amendment near the Supervisor of Elections Office during early voting on Saturday, said the amendment should be passed because it represents a public safety issue and would protect against sexual predators.
Art Ellingsen, a Gainesville resident and a member of the pro-amendment group Citizens for Good Public Policy, referenced the group's commercial depicting a man entering a women's restroom.
He said he worries about the safety of his baby granddaughter when she visits him if the amendment does not pass.
Tamara Cohen, the director of multicultural and diversity affairs at UF and a member of the march, said she cares about issues of sexual violence and that is not what her fight against the amendment is about.
"It's about protecting Gainesville as an inclusive, welcoming city," she said.
Zoe Falcone, a transgender UF botany senior and a march participant, planned to go to graduate school at UF but will leave if the amendment is passed.
"It would be just bad for our reputation and bad for our city and bad for the university," Falcone said.
After spending about 30 minutes at the Northwest Eighth Avenue and Northwest 34th Street intersection, about 15 demonstrators drove to the corner of Northwest 13th Street and Northwest 16th Avenue to continue holding their signs and listening for the occasional horn honks from passing cars.
