I received an interesting email this morning from Anthony Niedwiecki, whose organization Fight OUT Loud, has been spearheading the campaign to flush anti-gay Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle. Niedwiecki and his partner, Waymon Hudson, attended two city commission meetings last night — one in Fort Lauderdale, and the other in Oakland Park, to the north.
His experiences at the meetings of the adjacent communities was, as he calls it, “a tale of two cities.”
Oakland Park: “Last night, the city first voted to add gender identity and gender expression to its non-discrimination policy with an unanimous vote. The commissioners all have said that it is a no brainer because discrimination should not be tolerated in any form. It became one of the first cities in Florida to add these protections. Later, a few of us spoke to the commission about Naugle and the need to lead the region in sending a strong statement of support for diversity. After Waymon and I spoke about how Naugle's statements have made us feel less safe and that we have received some threats on the phone and through email and mail, the chief of police for our city came up to me and said that he had not heard about any of this and that he would make sure that we are protected. They have previously offered to check our house several times a day to make sure that nobody is bothering us. After a discussion on passing a potential resolution, the commissioners came to me and said that they want to pass an even more inclusive one to show to all people that they are welcome in our city. Among the commissioners, there was a clear disdain for what Naugle was doing, and that they wanted to strongly show that Oakland Park is different. It makes a difference when we have a mayor that is openly gay and commissioners that truly care about the city and the region. Waymon and I walked away with a sense of pride for our city because of the feeling of community and inclusiveness that is so clearly lacking in Fort Lauderdale now. That became even more apparent when we drove to Fort Lauderdale's commission meeting.”
Fort Lauderdale: “All of the news cameras were in the meeting room waiting for Naugle to say something stupid again. One of the commissioners had ‘walked on' a resolution earlier in the day celebrating the diversity of the city without saying anything about Naugle. The statement was not a pure censure, but it was something. When the final vote came, the mayor made a speech and focused on the word ‘dignity' to launch into another one of his offensive and anti-gay tirades. He said that he could vote for the resolution because it included this word, and that we need to stand for the dignity of our families and how they need to be saved from all of the sex, blah, blah, blah (you know the drill by now). The meeting then quickly ended and Rev. Dozier and the mayor quickly jumped to the cameras. Rev. Dozier, who is now the mayor's best friend and biggest supporter, told me and Waymon that our family is not a family in his eyes. He said that he felt sorry for our foster son because he is surrounded by sin and that he is missing what it is like to be in a real family. This ‘reverend', mayor, and their crazy supporters started lecturing all of the gay men in the hall, telling us that we are going to hell, that we make god throw up, and that we hate Christians because we disagree with the mayor. Waymon and I just put our arms around each other and I gave him a kiss on the cheek. The day before, as you already know, the mayor held a press conference with militant religious figures that want to turn Fort Lauderdale into the new bible belt of the south.”
Finally, Niedwiecki has some advice for people who may have decided not to visit the region because of Naugle's anti-gay comments: “I know that many of your readers are deciding not to come to Fort Lauderdale because of the statements of the mayor and the weakness of the city commission to take stronger action. I just want them to know that Fort Lauderdale is just one small part of the region. Instead of not visiting at all, stay in Oakland Park or Wilton Manors where the gay community is strong and the cities not only welcome LGBT individuals, but they celebrate the diversity and openness of our community. These are also the cities where many (if not most) of the gay and gay-friendly accommodations, restaurants, and bars are located. We also need to remember that some of the strongest statements have come from boards and commissions that have gay or lesbian members, such as Oakland Park and the Broward County Commission. I take away two lessons from last night: 1) we do have some great open and inclusive cities here, such as Oakland Park; and 2) to prevent crusades like we have seen in Fort Lauderdale, it is essential that we elect gay officials at all levels of government.”
Background
Mayor Jim Naugle Flushed from Broward County Tourism Board [tr]
Defiant Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Will Risk Tourism for Anti-gay Views [tr]
Christian Hate Groups Join With Anti-Gay Ft. Lauderdale Mayor [tr]
Fort Lauderdale Gay Businesses Concerned About Naugle Effect [tr]
Hundreds Rally Against Anti-Gay Fort Lauderdale Mayor Naugle [tr]
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Angers Gay Community Hours Before Rally [tr]
Flush Naugle: Gays in Fort Lauderdale Call on Mayor to Resign [tr]
