In a sad sense, it's a breakthrough to hear City Councilwoman Elisa Chan's unvarnished views on lesbians, gays and transgender people.

The veil has been lifted.

We can finally have an honest dialogue about the proposal to update the city's anti-discrimination ordinance, and resistance to including the LGBT community.

As Chan makes clear enough in the recording from a staff meeting, revealed by Express-News columnist Brian Chasnoff, resistance to the ordinance is not about bathrooms, First Amendment rights or religious freedom.

It's about deep-seated fear — “So disgusting!” as Chan says — and willful misunderstanding.

There is mockery of transgender people:

“I will say, 'Strip down! What equipment do you have?'” she says. “I'm telling you. Crazy. We're getting to crazy realm.”

There is disdain:

“You know, to be quite honest, I know this is not politically correct,” she says. “I never bought in that you are born, that you are born gay. I can't imagine it.”

There is hypocrisy:

“I don't think homosexual people should do adoption,” she says. “They should be banned by adoption. You're going to confuse those kids. They should be banned.”

Only later to say:

“I'm respectful of their choices, right? Even though I don't believe that, but they're free people, they can do whatever they want to do.”

And there is cynical politics, courtesy of Jeff Bazan, her former chief of policy, who plays the angles.

“You get the most political points by standing up for traditional values on this one,” Bazan says.

Points. But what about substance?

Bazan is now chief of staff to District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg.

Given the views expressed by Chan, it's amazing, really, that anybody is courageous enough to come out about being gay or transgender. And yet, despite being subject to ridicule, alienation or disgust, they do.

If anything, Chan's views reveal just how necessary it is to include the LGBT community in this expansion of the city's anti-discrimination ordinance.

That's the catch with equality: It has to include everyone to really work.