The Equality Florida Institute plans to honor the Alachua County Commission Friday evening with the Voice for Equality Award at its annual Greater Gainesville Gala.
The commission is being given this award to recognize its addition of protections regarding employment, housing and public accommodations for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the community, according to an Equality Florida news release.
The commission added these protections against discrimination based on either sexual orientation or gender identity to its human rights ordinance last year. The amendments to the ordinance went into effect on Jan. 1.
The county had previously added sexual orientation as a protected characteristic to its human rights ordinance in 1993, but voters decided to remove that provision the next year.
The city of Gainesville already includes such protections in its own human rights ordinance.
The gala will start at 7 p.m. at the Historic Thomas Center, located at 302 NE Sixth Ave. in Gainesville. For more information, visit www.eqfl.org/gainesvillegala or call 813-870-3735.
Tickets are sold out, according to the website.