An ordinance that would establish nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people in Houston, the nation's fourth largest city, got support this week from heavy hitters including the White House and high tech giant Apple.
Houston residents will vote Tuesday on the contested Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.
"While the Administration generally does not take a formal position on specific proposals or initiatives, the President and Vice President have been strong supporters of state and local efforts to protect Americans from being discriminated against based on who they are and who they love," White House spokesman Jeff Tiller said in a statement Thursday.
"We're confident that the citizens of Houston will vote in favor of fairness and equality."
Supporters of the ordinance say the measure would not only offer increased protections for gay and transgender people, but it would provide a wealth of protections against discrimination based on sex, race, age, religion and other categories.
Opponents, who contend the ordinance would infringe on their religious beliefs against homosexuality, have focused their campaign on labeling it the "bathroom ordinance," alleging that it would open the door for sexual predators to go into women's restrooms. The "bathroom ordinance" strategy has been called highly misleading by Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who is gay, and other supporters of the ordinance.
Cupertino, California-based Apple said its "stores and our company are open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love."
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Apple supports Proposition 1 as it sends a clear message that Houston is focused on a future of inclusion, diversity and continued prosperity," the company added in its statement.
Apple CEO Tim Cook came out last year as the first openly gay chief executive of a Fortune 500 company.
Houston's ordinance also has received support from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, who on Thursday tweeted: "No one should face discrimination for who they are or who they love--I support efforts for equality in Houston & beyond."
The high-profile support comes as the outcome of Tuesday's vote is considered uncertain, with one political expert believing the measure is leaning toward being defeated.
Robert Stein, a political scientist at Rice University in Houston, said the ordinance "could go to defeat by a big margin" because of possibly heavy Republican voter turnout.
"That's probably why you have the efforts in the last days of the election (to show support from) the president, Hillary Clinton," he said.
Kevin Nix, a spokesman for Houston Unites, the campaign backing the ordinance, said the high-profile support will "boost the momentum as we head into Tuesday."
"I think it's going to be a tight race but we're feeling pretty good," he said.
Houston Unites announced Friday that other companies also have offered their support of the ordinance, including General Electric, Hewlett-Packard and BASF.
But Jared Woodfill, a spokesman for Campaign for Houston, which is fighting the ordinance, called the big-name support a sign of desperation.
"It's a Hail Mary pass at the last minute that is not going to work," he said.
Woodfill said opponents of the ordinance have included a diverse group of individuals, including pastors from all denominations and local and state elected officials.
One of those officials, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, on Thursday tweeted: "HOUSTON: Liberals from Hollywood and Washington, D.C. are trying to impose their radical agenda in Texas. Vote NO on Houston's Prop 1!"
