Voters in Houston on Tuesday rejected an ordinance to protect gay and transgender people from discrimination, the Associated Press said.
The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance became better known by detractors as the “bathroom ordinance,” after opponents warned that some protections related to the use of public bathrooms would allow sexual predators to go into women’s bathrooms.
{mosads}Supporters said it granted needed protections to many groups, inside and outside the LGBT community.
The ordinance was originally passed by Houston City Council in 2014, but the Texas Supreme Court earlier this year forced it onto the ballot.
It was favored by the White House, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton and tech giant Apple, but faced opposition from many religious leaders and Republicans.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, tweeted earlier this week against the ordinance: “HOUSTON: Vote Texas values, not @HillaryClinton values. Vote NO on City of Houston Proposition 1. No men in women’s bathrooms.”