After six consecutive terms — more than any before him — Ft. Lauderdale's Hummer-driving Mayor Jim Naugle is out. Despite representing a gay-friendly city, Naugle has battled with queers for much of his tenure, from denouncing gay marriage ("Marriage is a religious institution, and government should define it to be between a man and a woman") to demanding more single-occupancy public toilets to prevent gay cruising. (Such a defender of society, Naugle once gave an interview about the problems of public gay sex from the car while his daughter was in the back seat.) Naugle earned the ire of everyone from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to the NAACP. But now, for the first time in 18 years, Ft. Lauderdale welcomes a new man to the job today. That's Jack Seiler. And he likes us, he really likes us!

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While Ft. Lauderdale has long been considered a LGBT vacation destination, their current asshat mayor, Jim Naugle, has done everything he can to drive the gays away, by saying the city needs more single-occupancy restrooms to prevent gay cruising and opposing a move by the public library to put a collection of LGBT literature on its bookshelves.

With gay tourism big business and Naugle on his way out, all the candidates for the job are stumbling over themselves to prove they'll be the ones to sweep homophobia out of City Hall.

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Jim Naugle, the Fort Lauderdale mayor who campaigned against the scourge of gay sex last year, accidentally spoke with gay magazine The Advocate this week. Apparently Naugle thought it was a legal publication, so he told them why he's against gay marriage. It's a pretty stock – and dangerous – reason: "Marriage is a religious institution, and government should define it to be between a man and a woman." Wait, aren't church and state separate? We're confused. [The Advocate]

"I would like to be remembered as one of the first politicians who rejected political correctness and did what's right." Fiercely anti-gay Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, moments after saying a "responsible homosexual" could take over his highly contested mayoral slot, but not one that believes in promiscuity. [Sun-Sentinel]

Jim Naugle better watch his back!

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Gay Floridians gathered outside Broward County Convention Center this week to protest robo-toilet loving Jim Naugle's "Prayer Breakfast". The robo-toilet crusading Fort Lauderdale mayor's event hosted Focus On The Family president Jim Daly, another gay arch nemesis. Sorry we missed it! [Washington Blade]

Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle's got egg on his face yet again.

After hearing from scads of activists, Focus on Fort Lauderdale has removed his offensive column from their website. In that column, the gay panicked politico revives his calls for vigilance against gay public sex. That mission garnered Naugle all sorts of press last year, most of it bad, and a national campaign forced him into silence.

Naugle refuses to apologize for the latest outburst, of course, and gripes about the piece's tardy publication: "[Naugle] said that he, too, 'was outraged,' because he wrote it in October 'when all of that was timely.'" Journalist Brittany Wallman informs readers, however, that Naugle addressed the issue just last month in his State of the City address. Naugle's memory has apparently gone down the crapper.

Jim Naugle simply can't quit. The Fort Lauderdale mayor used his column in the latest tax-funded Focus On Fort Lauderdale to again take on toilet trolling.

Naugle, who famously proposed robo-toilets to curb cruising, writes:

Imagine my dismay this past summer when I learned that a tourism website was listing one of our main children's parks as a location for men to meet for sex. And then, we discovered that other parks and public places were listed on other websites on the Internet.

Some denied that these activities were taking place. The Police Department made arrests, but I know the problem is not completely eliminated. I am hopeful that we are successful in curtailing these illegal activities in the future.

Floridian gay activists aren't having it – Fight Out Loud say Naugle's comments lead "to an atmosphere of hate and violence."

What the fuck's up with Florida? The Sunshine State has been on our radar for months now. We had Bob Allen wacky racist toilet trolling madness, Jim Naugle's robo-toilet insanity, today we wrote about Simmie Williams Jr's horrible shooting death and now we hear that Fort Lauderdale-based Melbourne Brunner got the shit kicked out of him for saying "Good Morning" to another man while eating with his partner. We're so not retiring there! [Towleroad]

Jim Naugle would shit! New York City yesterday unveiled the big apple's first pay toilet (seen above, being adored by Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff).

The $100,000 throne costs a mere quarter – the same price as the NY Post – and allows the user 15-minutes of pure, unadulterated potty privacy. That seems like an awfully long time, but it is in Madison Square Park, home of the famous – and famously dirty – Shake Shack.

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A Daytona Beach potty be poppin' last Thursday – and then it be coppin'.

Floridian officials nabbed nine toilet trollers during a Sear's bathroom sting last week.

A high school athletics teacher and former city councilman and mayoral candidate Mike Shallow were among the men arrested. Such operations have become regular news since Senator Larry Craig's bathroom drama earlier this year, as have politico's involvement in such events. We are, however, taken aback by police chief Mike Chitwood's venomous reaction.

The reason that we did this sting is we all go to the mall; our kids go into the bathroom. That they could be susceptible to this kind of behavior is absolutely a disgrace.
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It's scumbags like this that erode the quality of life that we have here. What scares me is that these are people that we trust to be political leaders, these are people that we trust with our children.

Chitwood must be a Jim Naugle supporter.

The transgender tides are changing in South Florida, where city after city has been outlawing anti-trans discrimination. The Sun-Sentinel reports:

Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Tequesta and Oakland Park have approved nondiscrimination clauses this year either covering city employees or all residents. Oakland Park was the latest last week and Wilton Manors may consider adding transgender as well.

As the local governments step into equality, Palm Beach and Broward Counties, the latter of which anti-gay Jim Naugle calls home, are considering including trans folk in their non-discrimination policies.

Journo Patty Pensa cites Susan Stanton, formerly Largo City Manager Steve Stanton, as one of the biggest influences on the region. Stanton (pictured) got sacked last year after announcing her sex change. The story caught the national eye and helped elevate transgender into the upper echelons of political debate.

It's been a while since we trolled around Overheard in New York. At this point we'd thought we'd heard it all, but you'd be surprised. Check out this one-liner peeped on the D-Train": "She gay? Oh, well, then keep her away from me. I don't like gay people. They's too charmin'."

We're not sure whether we should be offended or, well, charmed. Unless, of course, she meant "Charmin," in which case she may be pledging allegiance to Jim Naugle. Hmm…

Here's another one, uttered by a teen to her friend after what "clipboard activist" (read: HRC?): "I don't get it. What are they doing, selling gay rights?" Yes, yes they are…

We may think Jim Naugle's a nutter, but the homophobe politico's got legions of fans. In addition to "protective" parents, the Fort Lauderdale mayor recently enlisted some wacky religionists, like this guy. A Sun-Sentinel reader John Ehlert wonders why Mr. Mathes Guice felt the need to go camo: Let me see if I have this "right":

The Fort Lauderdale mayor shows up with men, supposedly men of the cloth but who are wearing paramilitary uniforms. Can someone answer as to just when the church began to worship Ares, the god of war?
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All hail Ares. Someone might want to mention to God that he's been replaced.

Does the G-man get unemployment?

Michelangelo Signorile hosted homophobic mayor Jim Naugle on his show earlier this week. In his follow-up post over at The Gist, Signorile expresses regret for not taking a harder line against the Fort Lauderdale mayor.

In addition, the 46-year old homo-journo does point out something interesting: "family defender" Naugle did the sex-laced interview near a child.

Naugle did the interview from his car, on the cell phone, with his daughter or granddaughter in the car, who can be heard in the background. Yes, there was a child (had to be between 5 and 9 years old from the sound) in the car, while he's talking about sex in toilets while driving — this from a man whose whole campaign has been couched as protecting kids from sexual activity!

Though there's anything wrong with talking sex around kids – they're going to find out at some point! – Naugle's actions are a little…what's the word? Hypocritical!

For those of you looking for a great gay debate, tune into Michelangelo Signorile's Sirius radio show today at 3:30pm. The homo-journo will be digging into anti-gay Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle.

Let's hope for a bloodbath!

[If you don't have Sirius, click here for free three-day trial!]

No doubt Jim Naugle's left an indelible – and detestable – mark on Fort Lauderdale and the surrouding communities.

The anti-homo mayor made headlines when he first asked the city to pay for robo-toilets, a $250,000 investment he hoped would curb queer public sex.

The measure didn't go through, but it's raised sociosexual tensions to a boiling point.

Since then, we've already seen Naugle booted from the tourism board and censured by his peers, but the mayor's still sitting pretty and with loads of allies. While a number of black pastors lend Naugle their support, another group of black people are gearing up for a war of Biblical proportions.

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Fort Lauderdale's city commissioners came together last night after a long summer break. As part of their first meeting since Jim Naugle's now infamous robo-toilet campaign, the Commissioners voted on and passed a new diversity resolution.

Naugle, naturally, held things up a bit.

The resolution says that the city "would condemn any statement or action that shows disrespect for any segment of our population or that violates Our Values" and that the city has a diverse population of "varying races, ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations."

The mayor voted in favor, after he had the words "and families" added to a line that voices support for the county's tourism bureau marketing the city to "diverse groups." Now it reads "diverse groups and families."

Naugle also went on to say that his anti-gay propaganda isn't "hate speech". Funny, it sounds like it to us.

Speaking of hate speech, Naugle supporter Reverend O'Neal Dozier offered this nauseating comment:

God sees homosexuality as an abomination. It is something that causes him to want to vomit… It is just that ungodly and just that nasty.*

Talk about wanting to wretch!

Question: Can God vomit? To vomit, he'd have to eat. If he eats, what's his favorite food? We think Spaghetti-Os or something gross like that. Not that he'd admit it, of course.

Jim Naugle just got a few new friends. A coalition of primarily black ministers have lent the Fort Lauderdale mayor their support to his homophobic cause. Peter Bailey of Miami Herald reports:

The predominantly black coalition of about 10 says its ultimate vision is to" transform Fort Lauderdale and Broward County into the Bible Belt of South Florida."

In hopes of reclaiming the "city's Biblical heritage," the group's leaders say they plan to undertake measures "to ensure immoral behavior is not tolerated in the city or throughout the county."

"We as a body of Christ support the mayor because he is addressing a moral crisis," said Mathis Guice, director of the men's ministry at Koinonia Worship Center. "People have to understand we're in a spiritual war with Satan."

That would be us.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force wants to take Jim Naugle to task. They've asked the Fort Lauderdale City Commission to formally censure the mayor for his repeated verbal attacks on the gays.

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One day after Broward County Tourism Commission booted Jim Naugle from their roster, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has come out against the homophobic Fort Lauderdale mayor. Via South Florida's CBS affiliate:

Add the NAACP to the list of groups who have come out against Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle for his anti-gay remarks.

Local leaders with the civil rights organization said Wednesday the mayor�s comments against the city�s gay community are a form of hate and discrimination.

Awesome, NAACP! We have one question: what took so long?

Peter LaBarbera fucked himself. The Americans For "Truth" president booked a banquet room at a Chicago-area Holiday Inn for an upcoming gathering of his anti-queer comrades.

As is his habit, LaBarbera opened his trap and told hotel management the conference may draw gay protesters. The organization does, after all, support homophobic politicos like Jim Naugle.

Preferring to keep attention on their guests, rather than politics, the hotel canceled LaBarbera's reservation. Now LaBarbera's citing discrimination and used the cancellation to perpetuate his "victimhood".

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During his post-scandal statement yesterday, Senator Larry Craig gave the media a perfect soundbyte, "I am not gay. I never have been gay." No doubt news heads have heard those nine words countless of times since yesterday afternoon. No doubt you will hear them again.

"I am not gay. I never have been gay." Those nine words will be etched as hard and as deep as former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey's famous five: "I am a gay American."

Craig's nine words will define the end of his culture warrior career. For once he may not by lying. And, by some twist of political fate, Craig may be helping so-called "sexual deviants".

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Have fun with Lewd Larry and "No Gay" Naugle!

Q: Guess what Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle found by trying to stop gay sex in the the public bathrooms at the beach?

A: A Senator from Idaho.

Oh, zinger!

Another Craig crack-up, after the jump.

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Jim Naugle will no longer represent sunny Fort Lauderdale for the Broward County Tourism Commission. The commissioners voted unanimously to boot the mayor for his recent – and very public – anti-gay crusades.

Of the decision, Commissioner Stacy Ritter remarked

I had hoped that this would die on its own, but Mayor Naugle continues to push his own agenda and that is having an increasing impact on our community. He has continued to escalate his rhetoric, and we cannot be silent.

No surprise Naugle also had a statement. And, shocker, he's as filled with imbecilic as the day he called for robo-toilets:

Sometimes the easiest thing to do when you don't want to hear something is to shoot the messenger, but that doesn't mean that there is not a problem out there that needs to be addressed.

Oh, they addressed the problem, Naugle. Now, if only you'd take a hint a head for the hills.

Read what Fight OUT Loud President Waymon Hudson had to say to the commission, after the jump…

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• AIDS ignorance confounds us, because AIDS has officially been ravaging the globe for over 25-years. People should know it exists. And, more importantly, they should know how to prevent it. The staggering dearth of readily available, government-provided information, of course, leads to bizarre cultural coping, as in Papua New Guinea:

Some people with HIV/Aids in Papua New Guinea are being buried alive by their relatives, a health worker says.

Margaret Marabe said families were taking the extreme action because they could no longer look after sufferers or feared catching the disease themselves.

Ms Marabe said she saw the "live burials" with her own eyes during a five-month trip to PNG's remote Southern Highlands.

We know it can be hard getting out to the rural areas, but the government may want to invest in a helicopter or something. Or, rather, they should have already done that. They known about the worrisome HIV rate for quite a while.

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The shit storm surrounding Jim Naugle just got a fresh gust. Fight OUT Loud just sent a long a press release informing us that Broward County's Tourism Commission will vote tomorrow on whether they should boot Naugle from the board – a move the non-profit whole-heartedly supports:

Fight OUT Loud is pleased to support Commissioner Stacey Ritter’s plan to remove Naugle from the Broward County Tourism Development Council. This motion will be on the agenda for vote on Tuesday, August 28th. The move comes in response to Naugle’s continued attacks on the gay community. Commissioner Stacy Ritter said Naugle's comments have been counter to the board's mission and are cause to remove him before his term ends next spring.
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Fight OUT Loud applauds Ritter and the County Commission for taking steps to remove Naugle from the Tourism Board, thereby giving him one less platform from which to spew dangerous misinformation and hate. Naugle is on a personal mission to demonize a large segment of the community he represents. By continuing his spread of lies and bigotry for his own personal satisfaction and agenda, Naugle has put the entire region at risk economically as well threatened the safety of LGBT citizens and visitors. He is putting the public at great risk by spreading misinformation about HIV/AIDS and other health issues. The mayor is also endangering the entire community by painting everyday citizens as depraved criminals and “abominations”, in the process encouraging hate and violence against them.

Once thought to be totally brainless, Naugle recently proved his political chops when he enlisted some holy roller friends to support his unholy mission.

Crikey! Another week gone? We're getting older by the second!

Before we barrel into another booze-soaked weekend, let's all take a second to look back at the week that was. That's right, it's Queerty ReBUTTal time! Yay!

Our new intern, Paul, graciously pulled each day's most talked about stories. We talk about them once again, after the jump…

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Jim Naugle's protracted homophobic campaign against public sex got whipped by Fort Lauderdale's tourism board.

Nicki Grossman of the visitor's bureau urged the maniacal Naugle,

The damage has been done to the destination. We need to get back to work fixing it. The rhetoric needs to stop and the anger, the mischaracterizations and the hurtful mean-spirited rhetoric has to stop.

Naugle replied, "I will not stop until I have convinced at least one million people that gay people are disease carrying monsters who should be burned at the stake." He's well on his way.

Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle's homophobic crusade earned him plenty of enemies over the past few weeks – and Larry Gierer's one of them.

The 'mo mayor of neighboring Oakland Park, Gierer took some time last night to knock Naugle – who thinks gays can't be happy – and his preposterous anti-gay mission…

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