Red versus Blue: City Council to Vote on San Antonio Non-Discrimination Ordinance

The San Antonio City Council is to vote on the controversial Non-Discrimination Ordinance (NDO) Thursday.

Speakers in favor and against the passage of San Antonio's Non-Discrimination Ordinance flooded the San Antonio City Hall Wednesday. Those in favor of the NDO were dressed in red while those opposed to the ordinance were dressed in blue.

A total of more than 700 registered to speak Wednesday, says San Antonio Express.

Proponents and supporters of the NDO contest that the ordinance merely seeks for social justice. The ordinance will prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the city.

"It's human rights, civil rights issue, it's about social justice. It's not about religion; it's not about freedom of speech; it's about treating other people equally," Susana Segura told Kens5.

"These hateful words are killing people," said Mark Farris, son of a transgender woman in a report by San Antonio News Express. "I might not be the same, but that's not important. No freedom until we're equal," he added.

Those opposed to the NDO believe that the ordinance will trample religious expression and freedom of speech. A notable foe of the NDO is Attorney General Greg Abbott. Abbott says that "the city should scrap this proposed ordinance," in a report by Dallas News.

Abbott sent a letter to San Antonio City mayor Julian Castro - warning him about the ordinance's vulnerability to lawsuits. Particularly, he cited religious expression among city officials and residents of San Antonio which, according to him will be drastically affected. He also noted the state of Texas' recognition of traditional marriage or marriage between man and woman only. The NDO does not address same-sex marriage, says San Antonio News Express.

Although the NDO has been a hot issue of debate for the entire city of San Antonio, a total of 180 cities in the U.S. have already passed similar ordinances. According to Dallas News, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, Austin and El Paso have already made it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation.