Anti-gay remarks cost Naugle his seat on tourism board

This Florida Sun-Sentinel story (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-828naugle,0,1406774.story) illustrates that LGBT purchasing power can have an impact on politics. Hopefully, the residents of Ft. Lauderdale will send a further signal to Naugle and not re-elect him. Here are a few story highlights:

Fort Lauderdale - Mayor Jim Naugle's series of controversial comments about homosexuality cost him his seat Tuesday on the board that promotes Broward County to tourists.County commissioners accused him of jeopardizing the area's multibillion-dollar tourism industry. They said Naugle forced them to take the unprecedented step of stripping him of the job when he ignored warnings to stop his attacks.Since Naugle made his initial allegations about rampant gay sex in public restrooms nearly two months ago, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has been deluged with hundreds of angry e-mails from tourists. Some said they had canceled vacations, while others threatened to go elsewhere.

A gay-oriented convention that was to draw 200 attendees this fall is on hold. A group that plans black family reunions has voiced concern about whether the mayor was sending a message of intolerance. Bookings of college and high-school sporting events is also down compared to last year.

"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," said County Commissioner Stacy Ritter, who proposed removing him. "He has continued to escalate his rhetoric, and we cannot be silent."

In additon to the comments on public sex, Naugle has described gays as unhappy, contended the gay Stonewall Library should not be housed in a city building because its collection contains pornography and questioned whether the county should market itself to gay tourists because of the high rate of HIV infection in the area. His comments have been reported across the nation.Broward has marketed itself to gay and lesbian visitors for the past decade and estimates that they now account for almost 1 million of the 10.4 million people who visit annually and spend about $1 billion while here. The visitors bureau will spend about $450,000 this year on advertising and other marketing directed at gay tourists.