Despite months of intense public debate, religious bigots public prayer against it, and  City Councilwoman Elisa Chan’s now infamous statements in which she called LGBT people “disgusting”.  San Antonio, Texas has passed an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance in a vote of 8-3. (Guess how Chan voted?)

More than 700 people registered to speak Wednesday during a marathon session of citizen testimony that stretched past midnight. Just a few hours later, 100 people signed up Thursday morning to get in a final word before the vote

Opponents went on to say the ordinance would stifle religious expression and does not have the support of most of the city’s residents.

“The problem I have is that you criminalize us if we speak our faith,” said Marc Longoria, a pastor at My Father’s House Church. “We are Christians all the time. We don’t have an on and off switch.” with some even resorting to using the anti-gay religious rights meme that LGBT rights are not civil rights.

“My parents and my grandparents rode the back of the bus,” said Sylvia Villarreal, who urged the council to vote no. “And I say shame on them for comparing this to civil rights.”

But after all the lies and gnashing of teeth from opponents were said and done San Antonio, Texas will now join nearly 180 other U.S. cities that have nondiscrimination ordinances that prohibit bias based on sexual orientation or gender identity