Gainesville says no to hate; "potty humor" takes on a new meaning

Great news from the home of Gator Nation: the city's Amendment 1, which would have repealed legal protections for the GLBT community, went down to defeat in voting yesterday.

[A]pproximately 58 percent of city voters ... said no Tuesday to Amendment 1 — a ballot initiative that would have made Gainesville's anti-discrimination ordinance the same as Florida's Civil Rights Act.

Those voting no on Tuesday represents 11,717 voters, compared to the 42 percent who voted for the amendment, or 8,375 votes.

Both numbers are exceptional for a city stand-alone election that had two City Commission seats and one other amendment on the ballot.

It was roughly 27 percent of the eligible voters compared to the usual turnout of less than 15 percent for a stand-alone city election.

It's been a divisive year and a half for [Gainesville city commissioner Craig] Lowe[,] who in January 2008 paved the way for the city to enact anti-discrimination protections for transgender individuals.

Almost immediately following that vote, a conservative political action committee, Citizens for Good Public Policy, launched a campaign to put an amendment on the ballot that would repeal not only the city rights for transgender people but also rights for gay, lesbian and bisexual people who had been protected in the city since 1998.

In light of other recent hate legislation that, for example, has elevated restrictions on marriage to constitutional status in places like Florida and California, this is a significant, albeit small, victory. But defeating hate sometimes has to happen in small increments.

Proponents of Amendment 1 ran a very nasty, hateful, and incredibly stupid campaign to promote their discriminatory aims. Their goal, according to Mark Minck, chair of Citizens for Good Public Policy, was specifically to keep men out of women's restrooms.

Minck and other citizens interpreted the "gender identity" clause included in Gainesville's anti-discrimination ordinance as a vague definition that would allow men — even predators — to enter women's restrooms without an enforceable law.

Their slogan was "vote yes on Amendment 1 to keep men out of women's restrooms."

[Said Minck,] "Even thought [sic] the City Commission might see this as justification for the ordinance as worded, I'm hopeful that they will see that clearly thousands of their constituencies disagree with the portion of the ordinance that gives men legal access to women's bathroom[s]."

Jesus H. Christ on a urinal cake. They actually based their message on concern about bathrooms. One wonders whether former Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle, who himself is demonstrably toilet-obsessed, had anything to do with this.

In any event, the Right keeps coming up with dumber and dumber arguments. If it's not men in women's restrooms (I note there apparently was no concern about women in men's restrooms), it's that humans and dinosaurs lived together and the planet is only 6,000 years old. Can we please find an island to which we can ship these idiots?

Anyway, three cheers for Gainesville. Thanks for keeping hate where it belongs: in the simple minds of wingnuts.

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

For a good time, call ...

This is great.

From the office of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig:

"Watch found in the men's room on the 5th floor in the NW Corner of the Hart Building. It is not working, but if someone from your office lost it, please let me know.

Sometimes the comedy writes itself. But, then, you knew that already.

Where the boys are?

The 1960 film Where the Boys Are gave moviegoers everywhere a taste of the not-so-innocent Spring Break scene in Fort Lauderdale. Ahead of its time in its allusions to pre-marital sex and drinking, it's probably even too risque for current Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle. He's only too willing to share his views on sex (among other things), which are definitely reminiscent of the '60s ... the 1860s, that is.

Naugle (right ... I mean far right) believes that a $250,000 "robotic toilet" will prevent "illegal sex." And by "illegal sex," he means -- and these are his words -- "a couple of men in there engaged in a sex act."

But that's not all he believes. He's a veritable living, breathing Neanderthal:

The robo-john the city might buy for $250,000 or more allows occupants to stay inside for only a short time before the door opens. Probably not enough time for "illegal sex," Naugle figures.

The restroom, already in use in Atlanta, Seattle and New York, also plays music and cleans the seat automatically.

"We're trying to provide a family environment where people can take their children who need to use the bathroom," he said, "without having to worry about a couple of men in there engaged in a sex act."

Though police say sex in restrooms is no longer a hot crime, the mayor thinks it is. He talked about the illicit sex recently in public meetings, in an interview and in e-mails to residents.

Naugle, not a stranger to public controversy, particularly on the issue of gays, said public restrooms are pickup places for "homosexuals. ... They're engaging in sex, anonymous sex, illegal sex."

The proposed location for the city's experimental automated toilet is the parking lot at Sebastian Street, at what many locals call the "gay beach." Naugle told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that the intelligent commode's security features are vital at this location, which he called "the rainbow parking lot."

"The homosexual newspaper said it's the 'gay parking lot.' That's not me saying that," Naugle said in the interview, "that's what they said. I don't use the word 'gay.' I use the word 'homosexual.' Most of them aren't gay. They're unhappy."

Naugle doesn't single out gays for his noxious statements. He's an equal opportunity dickhead:

Naugle has been outspoken as a Christian and a social and political conservative.

When the Christian outreach event Beachfest came to town in 2003, he said anyone who had a problem with the city's official embrace of the religious festival "can move to Iraq."

He angered middle class residents last year when he said housing prices would be affordable if people worked more hours instead of sitting on the couch drinking beer. Earlier this year, he refused to sign a mayor's pact to reduce greenhouse gases. Naugle said global warming is not caused by humans and that the pact contained "hate-America stuff that the environmental wackos want in."

Excuse me, Fort Lauderdale, but when did you become a haven for intolerance? I graduated from high school in Broward County, and back then (the early 1980s) Fort Lauderdale was a mecca for Spring Breakers and vacationers of all persuasions. Even today, as I travel to Fort Lauderdale regularly, I don't see a city that would condone, much less vote for, a mouth-breathing, borderline insane bigot like Naugle. To paraphrase Brian Griffin, whose leg did he have to hump to get elected mayor around there?

Perhaps it's time to do another movie about Fort Lauderdale: Where the Lunatics Are. I can think of one scene that would have to be included ...

Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle looks on as Davie mayor Tom Truex greets Drunky McStagger at the start of a visit in May 2006.

UPDATE (10:52 am 8/6/07): I see the photo of Naugle with Drunky is no longer available. Bummer. If you Google Image search "Naugle Bush," you can see a smaller version, but apparently the City of Davie pulled it ... my fault, you think? Li'l ol' me? ;)

UPDATE (12:32 pm 8/29/07): Picture's back.

BCA Bowl: important bureaucratic priorities in Florida

So according to racymind, Texas has a batshit crazy legislature. Nice. But has the state bureaucracy there felt it necessary to get involved in a controversy over ... bathroom signage?

There is still a place for a little bathroom humor at McGuire's Irish Pub, under an agreement between the owners of McGuire's and the state.

Confusing signs on the bathroom doors at the pub have played jokes on customers for years — sending women to the men's room and vice versa. The signs have been up for 10 years in Destin and 30 years in Pensacola.

But, Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation recently threatened the Panhandle tourist landmark with closure for "Lack of signage properly designating bathrooms."

Under the agreement reached late Saturday night, the restaurants will be required to install an additional set of doors to prevent any embarrassing incidents.

I for one am grateful that Florida is straightening out this scourge on our beautiful state. Clearly, it's far more important than, say, voting rights, insurance fraud, gas prices, etc., etc. .....