Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - August 21, 2007
Steve Rothaus, srothaus@miamiherald.com
"The mayor is standing against the city of Fort Lauderdale becoming the AIDS capital of the world," Janet Folger, president and founder of Faith2Action, an online faith network, told The Miami Herald.
A few protesters heckled Folger, who served from 1997 to 2002 as national director of Coral Ridge Ministries' now-defunct Center for Reclaiming America.
One shouted at her, "Hate speech! You're a bigot!" said Naugle, who also spoke at the news conference outside Fort Lauderdale City Hall. "Janet stood strong and held on until he stopped."
Last month, Naugle proposed that Fort Lauderdale spend $250,000 on a single-occupancy toilet for the beach to cut down on men having sex with each other in public bathrooms.
Gay and HIV activists condemned the mayor and formed a group called Flush Naugle. The story caught on nationally, leading conservatives to counter with their own coalition, Healthy Public Places. Their slogan: "Mayor Naugle is right!"
Naugle says the public-sex problem is rampant. At first, the city reported that since 2005 there have been only two arrests for sexual activity in a public restroom.
The mayor now says the actual number is eight, including five men caught in a sting two years ago in Mills Pond Park and one man arrested two weeks ago in Holiday Park.
Fort Lauderdale gay activist Waymon Hudson, president of the group Fight OUT Loud, issued a news release after the news conference: 'Naugle continued his bigoted tirade against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community today, flanked by several controversial and divisive 'religious' leaders."
Other speakers at Tuesday's news conference included Rev. the O'Neal Dozier, senior pastor of Worldwide Christian Center in Pompano Beach, who organized the rally; Gary Cass, president of Christian Anti-Defamation Commission; and Dr. John R. Diggs Jr., a Massachusetts internist who frequently lectures about conservative topics.
Diggs, 50, said he traveled from Massachusetts at his own expense to stand behind Naugle.
"Anal sex is an easy way to spread STDs. That's true whether you're talking about homosexual or heterosexual sex," Diggs said. "Few people have his courage to state the obvious. He's being criticized by people who want to justify their own activities."
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