Voters in Anchorage, Alaska appear to
have rejected a ballot measure that sought to roll back legal
protections for transgender people in effect more than two years.
According to the Anchorage
Daily News, a majority (53%) of ballots counted from
Tuesday's election are a “no” on Proposition 1. But at least
16,000 ballots had not been counted as of Wednesday morning.
Kati Ward of the Fair Anchorage
campaign, which opposed Proposition 1, said “we're cautiously
optimistic.”
Opponents of the city's existing law
that allows transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice
put the initiative on Tuesday's ballot, expanding language to include
“intimate facilities.” They said they sought the law's repeal
because it caused safety problems and made women uncomfortable.
Opponents of Proposition 1 included BP
and Wells Fargo, which said it would hurt the city's economy.