A Florida Mayor Stands by His Comments, and Gay Advocates Stand Against Him

An uproar began last month when Mayor Jim Naugle said that installing a single-occupancy restroom on a local beach could deter “homosexual activity.”

Mr. Naugle, a six-term mayor in this city that draws legions of gay tourists and residents, went on to tell a local newspaper that he preferred the word “homosexual” to “gay” because he believed many gay people were “unhappy.” Soon after, he criticized a plan to house a private gay book collection in a public library because it contained pornography.

Outraged local residents called for his resignation, started a “Flush Naugle” campaign and organized a protest rally that brought hundreds to City Hall in late July, a time of year when South Florida usually verges on comatose. That day, Mr. Naugle announced that he would issue an apology.

And he did — to “the children and parents of our community,” for not being aware of “how serious the problem was of the sexual activity that’s taking place in bathrooms and public places and parks.” He questioned whether Broward County should continue telling tourists to “come on down,” citing 2004 statistics that found it led the nation in new AIDS cases.

Outspoken gay residents say Mr. Naugle’s comments have prompted more activism and solidarity than this city of 185,000 has seen in years. A new group, Unite Fort Lauderdale, has formed to “reclaim the respect and dignity of our citizens and the reputation of the city of Fort Lauderdale,” according to its Web site.

Michael Albetta, president of the Florida Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Democratic Caucus, said that Mr. Naugle had rankled gay residents before, but that they had not actively sought a more inclusive mayor until now.

“Shame on us,” Mr. Albetta said. “We’re definitely going to be more cognizant of which candidates are going to run for mayor next time.”

In an interview, Mr. Naugle — who described himself as “extremely” conservative despite being a registered Democrat, like half the city’s registered voters — said he had received 4,000 e-mail messages in recent weeks, mostly supportive. A “climate of permissiveness” has developed in the city, he said, similar to when Fort Lauderdale was a magnet for rowdy spring breakers several decades ago.

“It has become kind of like the days of spring break,” he said, “when we ended up clamping down because people were jumping off balconies and other things. We are kind of going in that direction with the gay tourism.”

The city has many gay bars, guesthouses and other businesses, but its gay social scene is generally more spread out and laid back that of Miami, about 30 miles to the south.

Gay newspapers and blogs around the country have blasted Fort Lauderdale in recent weeks; The Bay Area Reporter in San Francisco even urged gay tourists to boycott the city.

Last week, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Broward County Commission sent a letter to gay groups and meeting planners who have events scheduled here in the coming year. It describes the region as “a warmly welcoming destination that is safe, unbiased and gay friendly.” The bureau estimates that 950,000 gay tourists contribute $1.2 billion a year to the local economy.

“I’m concerned about the $1 billion,” Mr. Naugle said in the interview, “but I’m more concerned about protection of parks for our kids and saving lives.”

Mr. Naugle said that only four people had been arrested since 2005 on charges of having sex in public restrooms, but that such arrests were somewhat more common in city parks. He encouraged residents to call the police if they spot “homosexual activity” in public places, he said, adding that an arrest was made recently across from a Little League ball field.

“Frankly, people have been complacent with all this inclusiveness, political correctness,” Mr. Naugle said. “Our goal is to change behavior.”