Watch Meeting Live â€“Â Anti-LGBT Pastors in Kokomo, Indiana, Stage Rally in Advance of Final Council Vote

Anti-gay religious leaders in Kokomo, Indiana, are literally getting down on their knees to pray that they’ll continue to enjoy the right to discriminate against LGBT people.Â

Last week, Kokomo’s Common Council voted 5-4 to approve an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance on first reading. The ordinance is a direct response to the Indiana Legislature’s failure to pass statewide LGBT protections this year.Â

If the council approves the ordinance on second reading tonight, Kokomo would become one of about 20 Indiana cities that have passed LGBT protections.Â

On Thursday, 100 religious leaders who oppose the ordinance gathered to pray that at least one council member will change their vote, according to The Kokomo Tribune, which published photos of people on their knees inside Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church.Â

But organizers of the rally insisted they were acting out of love, not hate, and merely following “God’s word.” Â

â€œIt is never right for a man to ever be in a womenâ€™s restroom, (or) in womenâ€™s locker rooms in Kokomo, Indiana,” said Eric Miller, founder of Advance American, an Indianapolis-based anti-LGBT group. Â

Sadly,Â TribuneÂ reporter Cara BallÂ didn’t bother to contact anyone who supports the ordinance for her story. She also did nothing to counter the false, fear-mongering assertion that the ordinance will somehow lead to sexual predators entering women’s restrooms and preying on young girls.Â

After Advance America’s Miller addressed the council last Monday, officials began giving preference to speakers who actually live in the city. Â

One of those speakers was AleczanderÂ Dean, an 18-year-old trans student at Kokomo High School who poignantly refuted the trans bathroom myth.Â

“I just want to know why you guys think we’re going to be predators, seeing as how the bathroom is our worst nightmare?â€ Dean told the council.Â

Mount Pisgah PastorÂ L. E. Anderson insisted he doesn’t have a problem with LGBT people.Â

“God loves them like he loves us,” Anderson told the Tribune. “Itâ€™s not about LGBT. It’s not about heterosexual. Itâ€™s not about homosexual. Itâ€™s about Godâ€™s word, and that trumps everything.”Â

Councilman Stephen Whikehart, the author of the ordinance, told The New Civil Rights Movement heâ€™s confident it will pass on second reading.Â

“The five of us our firm and adamant about creating a more comprehensive piece of legislation that extends civil rights protections to include: age, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation and gender identity,â€ he said. “If our community plans to remain competitive locally, nationally and globally, we have to attract and retain young families, quality professionals, and hard working people. Part of this attraction comes with creating a safe and inclusive environment. We will not be influenced by misconceptions and the propagation of fear.”

Tonight’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. EDT and will be streamed live on the city’s website.Â

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Image: Screenshot via Kokomo Tribune/YouTubeÂ

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