At a tumultuous June 1992 meeting culminating in the arrest of 15 protesters, the Gainesville City Commission voted 3-2 to oppose a proposed Alachua County anti-discrimination ordinance in a resolution equating homosexuality with "pedophilia, bestiality and necrophilia.

[9][10] In response, a local anti-gay group called Concerned Citizens of Alachua County gathered signatures to overturn the law by referendum.

[24][25] In November 1996, following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Romer v. Evans,[26] a judge threw out the amendment barring protection of gay people because it had no rational basis under the U.S.

[29][30][31] After the 2008 passage of Gainesville's ordinance protecting transgender people from discrimination,[32] the Group Citizens for Good Public Policy organized a campaign to remove both gender identity and sexual orientation from the charter citing fears that loose gender laws would make it easier for men to infiltrate bathrooms designated for women and girls.

[37] The primary opposition arose from Equality is Gainesville's Business, which was represented in court by the American Civil Liberties Union[38] and received support from Lambda Legal, the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and other organizations.