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“Mayor Naugle Needs to be Flushed” |
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Written by Waymon Hudson
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Fort Lauderdale- In a recent interview about automated toilets with the Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle decided  to spout off some rather disturbing views on gay people. Specifically, he claimed in the interview that the $250,000 public toilets being proposed in Fort Lauderdale are designed to prevent gay sex even though the police department has said that there have been no problems with sex occurring in public bathrooms. Sgt. Frank Sousa of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department is quoted in the article as saying that “[t]here’s no evidence, no reports or arrests made for any men having sex in any restrooms.”
Regardless of this fact, Mayor Naugle has made the following comments:"We're trying to provide a family environment where people can take their children who need to use the bathroom without having to worry about a couple of men in there engaged in a sex act."
Public restrooms are pickup places for "homosexuals. ... They're engaging in sex, anonymous sex, and illegal sex."
"I don't use the word 'gay.' I use the word 'homosexual.' Most of them aren't gay. They're unhappy.”
This isn’t the first time the Mayor has revealed his bigoted nature. He has consistently fought any pro-GLBT ordinances and resisted “the take-over of Fort Lauderdale by the gays.” He also supported the ultra-conservative Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church’s Center for Reclaiming America, which in the past has called for the execution of gay people. When a member of my organization, Fight OUT Loud, emailed his concerns to the Mayor, he received this response: “Thank you for letting me know your view. I spoke the truth and will not apologize.” Jim Naugle’s unapologetic hatred and ignorance certainly show his views loud and clear.
The Mayor’s current and past comments are obviously meant to demonize gays and lesbians, and this can often lead to great harm. When a public figure openly makes anti-gay comments, it allows others to show their anti-gay bigotry in more violent ways. Just recently, a 25-year old Polk County man was brutally murdered for being gay. He was stabbed 20 times, and his killers drove around bragging to friends that they killed a gay man. In fact, the Attorney General’s Office has said that there has been a 33% increase of violent hate crimes targeting the LGBT community in Florida. It is not hard to imagine how Mayor Naugle’s comments could encourage this type of violence.
In addition, demonizing gays and lesbians hurts LGBT youth. Statistics show that LGBT teens attempt suicide at a much greater rate than their heterosexual counterparts. When our youth hear a public figure like the mayor state that gays are not happy, it just reaffirms the struggles and hardships that so many LGBT teens face.
Let’s face it, the Mayor has gone too far and it should be for the last time. Our community cannot stand for this type of hate-filled rhetoric directed towards us. It’s time we came together and let the mayor know exactly were his hate belongs: flushed down the toilet with his political career.
Waymon Hudson is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a non-profit organization focused on helping individuals who arevictims of discrimination and hate. www.fightoutloud.org Check out the Flush Naugle rally photos in our GaySoFla photo gallery.
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