Voters in the city of Houston today, after a nearly 18-month battle during which the city’s lesbian mayor was sent hundreds of protest bibles, rejected nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people.

The Associated Press reports that the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which was originally passed by the Houston City Council in May 2014, failed to win approval from voters. The Texas Supreme Court had ordered the city in July to either repeal HERO or put it on the ballot after hearing a lawsuit over the ordinance.

The bill offered greater protections for gay and transgender people, but opponents said that it would increase the possibility of male sexual predators being allowed in women’s restrooms.

Texas, along with 27 other states, does not have any statewide laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender, the Texas Tribune reports

HERO, or Proposition 1, made it illegal to discriminate based on 15 different “protected characteristics.” It reportedly failed by a margin of about 61% to 39%.

Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.