Today, Houston's City Council passed a non-discrimination ordinance that will protect city contracting, housing, public accommodations and private employees on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation in a vote of 11 to 6. The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) has received strong support from local advocates, many of whom attended and spoke out during a live-streamed meeting of city council members at Houston's City Hall.

Many anti-LGBT activists spoke as well, reiterating widely-discredited myths, particularly about the use of bathrooms by transgender residents. GLAAD, Think Progress, Media Matters, local Houston transgender advocate Monica Roberts, and many more have pointed out the misinformation and unwarranted fear behind these claims.