Craig Lowe Wins Recount In Gainesville

The Gainesville Sun reports that openly gay mayoral candidate Craig Lowe has won the vote recount from Tuesday's election. Lowe's narrow 25-vote win triggered the recount. His final margin was 42 votes. Lowe's campaign had been plagued by repulsive anti-gay rhetoric from Christian groups, including from one local church that's had its tax-exempt status challenged because of its "No Homo Mayor" signage.

Gainesville, FL Elects Openly Gay Mayor

In a nail-biter of a runoff election, tonight openly gay Gainesville, Florida mayoral candidate Craig Lowe was declared the winner, pending a mandatory vote recount triggered by his razor-thin win by 35 votes. Lowe's candidacy was marked by repulsive anti-gay rhetoric by Christianist activists, including "No Homo Mayor" signs in front of one church and the below false flier campaign which promised predatory "gays in women's restrooms" should Lowe win. Congratulations, Mayor Lowe! Let's hope this sticks.

Fear Of The Tax Man: Gainesville Church Drops "Mayor" From Its "No Homo" Sign

After the Americans For Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the IRS, Dove World Outreach in Gainesville, Florida has dropped the word "mayor" from their infamous "NO HOMO MAYOR" sign.

The Dove World Outreach Center, the Gainesville church that has gotten national attention for its incendiary stance against Islam, has backed off its anti-gay message — at least as far as the mayoral race is concerned. After church officials posted a “No homo Mayor” sign last month, I reported how that political statement could jeopardize their tax-exempt status. To make it clear that the church is still against homosexuality, the sign has since been covered up with a hand-written sign that reads, “No homo.” “No homo,” of course, is a common refrain among young people theses days. According to the Urban Dictionary, “no homo” is “used after one inadvertently says something that sounds gay.” The church’s sign was referring to mayoral candidate Craig Lowe, a city commissioner who is gay.

Openly gay mayoral candidate Craig Lowe finished first in last month's election. Gainesville residents are voting all this week in the runoff.

RELATED: After one of their anti-gay YouTube clips got pulled for TOS violations, Dove World Pastor Luke Jones submitted an unintentionally hilarious response titled "Homosexuality Hates Free Speech."

God Hates Spellcheck

After their "no more homo faggots and gays" clip got yanked from YouTube for TOS violations, Pastor Luke Jones of Gainesville, Florida's Dove World Outreach Center responds with this rant about censorship, adding that "homosexuality is a sin that should be punished by death." Jones also claims that 30% of gay men admit to having sex with minors, we all die by age 40, etc etc. Dove World has been in the news for their campaign against openly gay Gainesville mayoral candidate Craig Lowe.

FL Pastor: No More Homos And Fags!

Pastor Wayne Sapp of Gainesville, FL's Dove World Outreach Center goes off on a 6-minute rant against openly gay mayoral candidate Craig Lowe, saying "the world don't need no more homos and fags." Check out his YouTube channel for other gems such as Nigger! Is It A Good Word? Last year Sapp and others sued the Alachua Country School Board in order that their children could wear "Islam Is Of The Devil" tshirts to school.

(Tipped by JMG reader Robert)

Gainesville FL: Gay Mayoral Candidate Craig Lowe Finishes First, Faces Runoff

Craig Lowe, the openly gay candidate for mayor of Gainesville, Florida, finished first in a field of five yesterday, sending him and the second place candidate to an April 13th runoff. Lowe has been the target of a despicable anti-gay campaign, which included hoax fliers promising that he would bring the city "gays in the women's restrooms." Gainesville is a small college town, home to the University of Florida.

Fake Fliers Mock Gainesville Gay Mayoral Candidate Craig Lowe

Anti-gay activists in Gainesville, Florida are handing out hoax fliers urging support of openly gay mayoral candidate Craig Lowe, promising that he will bring the city "gays in women's restrooms" among other gay gay gay things.

“Please help to make this town more like San Francisco, CA,” the flier reads. “Don’t let Traditional Value Activists use scare tactics against you!” Lowe, a city commissioner, said in an interview that he was told the fliers had been put on cars at a Baptist church Sunday and some had been placed on cars along Main Street. It was not clear who was distributing them. “When someone poses as operating on your campaign’s behalf and is doing so in a manner to damage the campaign, I think that’s something that is very disturbing in the electoral process,” Lowe said. He said he wasn’t sure whether he would file a complaint.

Wingnut Group Smears Openly Gay Mayoral Candidate In Gainseville, Florida

The Concerned Citizens of Gainesville are smearing openly gay mayoral candidate Craig Lowe by posting placards claiming that his support for the city's recently passed transgender rights ordinance means he is pro-pedophilia. Via Equality Florida:

Last year, when anti-LGBT forces tried to repeal Gainesville's Human Rights ordinance, Craig Lowe served as Chair of the successful campaign to stop the repeal of these hard won legal protections. Now Craig is poised to become the first gay mayor of Gainesville and the anti-gay forces are targeting him with outrageous attacks. Craig is the most experienced candidate, having served on the Gainesville Commission since 2003. During his time on the commission Craig led the way in passing a Domestic Partnership Registry and an inclusive non-discrimination ordinance. Craig is running a strong grassroots campaign and he's going to need our help to emerge as the winner in a crowded election.

Support Craig Lowe's campaign here.