Voters in Springfield, Missouri overturned an LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance that protected against discrimination of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

The rule provided protection against discrimination in housing and hiring based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to FOX News.

Just over 50 percent of the voters are against the ordinance. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates, PROMO, are voicing their disappointment in the decision.

“We are still here for each other, and we will still work together to continue to make Springfield a welcoming place for ALL people,” Promo Executive Director A.J. Bockelman said in a statement. “Tomorrow, just as today, we continue working to achieve equality.”

The original law was passed in October, but a petition to repeal it was immediately started by opponents, which ended up forcing the 165,000 residents of Springfield to vote on it.

The opponents of the nondiscrimination ordinance say that it would violate their freedom by preventing them from operating a business according to their religious beliefs. Other opponents have even expressed that they feel it would allow sexual predators to use women’s restrooms.

With the passage of religious freedom laws in Arkansas and Indiana, there has been a huge recoil from business owners. Those states quickly tweaked the laws to make sure they addressed the concerns that would allow for discrimination against gays and lesbians.

For several months last year, advocates and opponents of the measure campaigned. The ordinance which added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories in employment, housing and public accommodations was finally approved by the city council in October. Celebrations by the advocates were cut short when a petition with 2,600 signatures was presented in November to repeal the expansion.

Supporters of turning over the ordinance said that they did not want regulations infiltrating their businesses, churches or their restrooms.