Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle Loves To Talk About T-Room Sex

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle once again hammered the straw man issue of dirty, restroom trolling queers yesterday at the same time that he allowed that a "responsible homosexual" could be mayor of the city. Naugle will be term-limited out of office next year and two openly gay men have announced their mayoral candidacies.

Many in Fort Lauderdale's gay community are upset again at Mayor Naugle, after a radio interview he did Thursday morning. Discussing the fact that two gay men are vying for his job, he's stepping down because of term limits. Naugle's legacy leaving city hall may end up being that he was the "anti-gay" mayor—an accusation he denies.

Cleaning up Fort Lauderdale's parks--that's what Mayor Naugle says has been his focus in the last several months. He prides himself on shutting down what he says was illegal homosexual activity at Holiday Park. "We had serious problems last year at this park and you can see how great it is here tonight," said Naugle.

Some accuse Naugle of using a few arrests to give a black eye to the gay community. Gay activists are even more upset now, after Naugle appeared on the WFTL morning radio show discussing whether Ft. Lauderdale is ready for a gay mayor.

"I think a homosexual does have a chance to be elected mayor in Ft. Lauderdale, if they reject that notion that it's okay to take over our parks with that kind of activity," said Naugle. "I mean if a responsible homosexual would run for office and reject that kind of activity, if a responsible homosexual were to run for office and do something about the AIDS crisis."

"He needs to be responsible with the words he says- he is totally irresponsible and shameless in the comments," said mayoral candidate Dean Trantalis. Former city commissioner Trantalis is gay and is running for the mayor's job. He says the mayor is anti-gay and uses that issue to distract from the city's real problems. "Why does he keep bringing it up? He keeps bringing it up because it grabs the headlines," said Trantalis. "The Mayor has some serious problems with sexual orientation and enough is enough."

"A lot of people think because of political correctness they can't speak the truth," said Naugle.

Naugle is widely loved by local wingnuts and is expected to seek higher office after his mayoral term expires.

Asshat Of The Year Nominee

Pulling a fast one on local activists and media, today Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle did not apologize for his anti-gay comments at his press conference, as had been expected, but instead launched an even more venomous attack on gays (video). Naugle said he only apologized for having "underestimated" the problem of gay public sex in the beachside resort town. Naugle then gave the press a media kit containing print-outs of the site CruisingForSex.com, which gives tips on places to meet in Fort Lauderdale for public sex. Naugle cited the case of Rep. Bob Allen, who was recently arrested for attempting to have sex in an park and shrugged off shouted responses that Allen is purportedly a straight married man.

Flanked by the virulently anti-gay Rev. O'Neal Dozier, Naugle again repeated his warning that gay men are running amuck in Fort Lauderdale and called on city residents to call police whenever they suspect gay men are having sex in public places. Fort Lauderdale police report only a single arrest for public sex at the gay beach in the last three years. Naugle went on to call for the Broward County Tourist Commission to "rethink" their long-running gay tourism campaign, claiming that Broward County has the highest rate of new HIV infections in the country. The press conference ended to the shouts of "Shame!", "Resign!", and "You are an embarrassment to our city!"

Naugle's pal, Rev. Dozier, is famed for having told a local paper in 2003 that being gay is “something so nasty and disgusting that it makes God want to vomit" and "AIDS is God's punishment." Even Dubya was forced to remove Dozier from his advisory council after those remarks. Dozier's church is in nearby Pompano Beach, prompting UNITE Fort Lauderdale's Waymon Hudson to speculate that no local church was willing to support Naugle.

Naugle is attempting to spin his entire anti-gay position (and he refuses to use the word "gay") as merely his attempt to quell public sex, but makes no mention of any distaste for heterosexual public sex. I'd like to call on the residents of Fort Lauderdale to CALL THE POLICE every time they see straight couples hooking up in public - in nightclub parking lots, on the beach, wherever.

NEW JMG FEATURE: Asshat Of The Year. Welcome, Mayor Naugle, as our first nominee.
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Naugle Gets Booted From Fort Lauderdale's City Magazine

After he once again ranted about gay sex in city's parks, this time in a column in the city's official monthly magazine, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission has voted to delete Mayor Jim Naugle's regular column. Instead, a group column from the entire commission will appear.

City Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson brought up the column at Tuesday's city meeting, and her colleagues agreed that the mayor's missives should not be carried in the taxpayer funded magazine.

Hutchinson reminded Mayor Jim Naugle of a resolution the group passed last September embracing diversity in the city. That resolution was intended as a public salve during a cultural controversy created by the mayor's comments that public bathrooms are hookup sites for gay men, and that he uses the term "homosexual'' rather than "gay'' because many gays are not happy.

In his latest column in the city's Focus on Fort Lauderdale magazine, he talked about finding a tourism Web site advertising a city park for men to meet for sex. He encouraged citizens to call if they witness illegal activities like that in public places.

"I just want all this nonsense to stop," said Hutchinson. "I don't want to talk about the bathroom thing again." Hutchinson is running for Naugle's open seat in 2009, and her campaign manager attended Tuesday's meeting.

You have feel sorry for the city and county commissioners who have to deal with Naugle's bullshit while trying to maintain the place as a top tourist destination. Naugle will be term-limited out of office next year, after which he has threatened to run for state office. Judging by his enthusiastic supporters found in the comments of the above-linked story, I'll bet he succeeds.

HomoQuotable - Larry Gierer

"Let me start by saying that I'm truly a happy homosexual, And not only that, I'm a happy homosexual who is HIV-positive. So he really slaps me upside the head." - Larry Gierer, mayor of Oakland Park, Florida, speaking about Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle. Oakland Park is just north of Fort Lauderdale, also in Broward County. Gierer adds, "It's a flashback to Anita Bryant. His logic, his views...it just sounds antiquated and foolish. He needs to dust the cobwebs off, because so many people have happy homosexuals in their life. I just think he's grasping at straws. It's a way for him to get the spotlight."

And Naugle is getting the spotlight, having been interviewed last week by CNN and the NY Times. The new darling of the Christianist right, Naugle is being groomed for bigger things. But on the upside, Waymon Hudson of Fight OUT Loud reports today that the Broward County Commission will be voting tomorrow to remove Naugle from its tourism board. Fort Lauderdale is already feeling fallout from Naugle's hate speech, with the tourism board reporting hundreds of emails from people vowing not to vacation there. Only one tour group is known to have cancelled so far, but with those events planned so far in advance, the full effect remains to be seen.

While some (San Francisco's Bay Area Reporter, for example) are calling for a boycott of Fort Lauderdale, local gay activists are urging queers to continue to patronize the city. I agree. Enjoy beautiful Fort Lauderdale and take an hour out of your vacation to drop by City Hall to register your displeasure with the major. Bring toilet paper.

Naugle To Host On Wingnut Radio

Asshat mayor of Fort Lauderdale Jim Naugle will be hosting a local talk radio show tomorrow morning on the Mitchell & Morley In The Morning show, which runs during the morning drive time, 6am - 9am EST. The right-wing WFTL also carries the Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, and Dr. Laura shows. Maybe the mayor is already gunning for a new career as a shock jock? WFTL, Asshat Central for haters, seems like a good home for Naugle. Local LGBT rights group UNITE Fort Lauderdale has been invited to join Naugle, but has not yet confirmed. If you are up early enough and want to chew Naugle out, the call-in number is: 954-315-1515. Listen live here.

Flush Naugle Campaign Launches

Equality Florida has a launched a "Flush Naugle" campaign, asking folks to mail Fort Lauderdale's anti-gay major a roll of toilet paper in protest of his robo-john installation on the gay beach. A quote from Naugle: “I don't use the word 'gay.' I use the word 'homosexual.' Most of them aren't gay. They're unhappy."

RELATED: I submitted the word "naugle" to UrbanDictionary.com with the definition, "Naugle: v, to take a crap in a public toilet." We'll see if it gets posted.

Anti-Gay Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle Replaced By Gay-Friendly Jack Seiler

The long and horrible 18-year reign of Fort Lauderdale's virulently anti-gay Mayor Jim "Robo-Potty" Naugle ended yesterday when he was term-limited out of office. Replacing Naugle will be former Florida state Rep. Jack Seiler (D), 46, (left) who easily beat two openly gay candidates, businessman Earl Rynerson and lawyer Dean Trantalis.

Seilor was opposed by the gay political group Dolphin Democrats, who published ads noting his endorsement by Jim Naugle. The legitimacy of Seiler's candidacy was questioned early in the campaign when he rented a home six blocks from his longtime home in adjacent Wilton Manors, where Seiler was mayor from 1998-2000, in order to establish residency inside Fort Lauderdale's city limits. Seiler's state legislative district included a portion of Fort Lauderdale.

Our own Father Tony ran into Mayor-Elect Seiler late in the day outside his polling place and did the impromptu interview below, in which Seiler pledges support for the LGBT community on such issues as domestic partners and gay adoption, but say's "we not there yet" in regards to marriage equality. While mayor of the very gay Wilton Manors, Seiler supported the enactment of that city's domestic partners legislation.

Tea Room Naugle Is Back

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim "Tea Room" Naugle, who made national headlines last year when he insisted that gay men were running wild in the public restrooms of the city's beach, is now leading a group of Democrats supporting the push to put anti-gay marriage wording into the Florida state constitution.

A ballot measure to ban gay marriage has already won the support of many religious leaders and Republican politicians. On Tuesday, it received another endorsement -- this time from a group of Democrats.

In a press conference headlined by Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, the community leaders -- including pastors and civic activists -- said marriage should be defined as the union between a man and a woman. Amendment 2, if passed by voters on Election Day, would do just that by changing the Florida Constitution to say, ``No other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.''

The measure has already garnered support from several Republican politicians, including Gov. Charlie [CLOSET CASE] Crist, U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez and Attorney General Bill McCollum. Outside the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in downtown Miami, where the group of Democrats rallied, some held signs that read, ''Yes 2 Marriage,'' while others clutched Bibles.

Naugle will be term-limited out of his job next year, but is expected to seek statewide office.

Naugle Booted From Tourism Board

Yesterday Broward County commissioners voted unanimously to boot Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle from their Tourism Development Board, citing his hate speech which has already cost the city vacation and convention business. During his remarks before the vote, out gay County Commissioner Ken Keechi said, "Let do the right thing, let's throw him off this board." Fight OUT Loud president Waymon Hudson said he is "very happy" with the decision, calling it a first step to reclaiming Fort Lauderdale (Video).

UNITE Fort Lauderdale reps had told me before the vote that they were only certain of getting three of the commissioners to vote to remove Naugle. I'm happily surprised too as I wrote to all nine commissioners, but only got replies from two, including a nice note from Ken Keechi. There is no mechanism to recall Naugle, who is term-limited from running again.

Flush Naugle Campaign Gains Steam

The Flush Naugle campaign has energized Fort Lauderdale's sleepy activist community and in a way, we should thank Mayor Robo-john for that. Living in what many consider to be the nation's gayest city, Fort Lauderdale's LGBT folk have long been lulled into a sort of quiet bliss, enjoying the robust gay tourism trade that has been heavily courted by the Visitors and Conventions Bureau, whose materials tout the area as the "America's top gay resort", a claim made credible by the collapse of South Beach's gay scene several years ago.

If you live in the tri-county area, get down to Fort La-de-da's City Hall next Tuesday. Even if you think the Flush Naugle campaign is trifling, remember that Naugle is a servant of Dark Lord D. James Kennedy, whose slimy anti-gay tentacles hurt us nationwide.

RELATED: Back when quaaludes were the currency of gay clubbing, the town was often called "Fort Luderdale." Then the gay spring break thing happened and the moniker morphed into "Fort Liquordale". Now the t-shirts in the gay shops proclaim the city as "Fort Leatherdale".
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Fort Lauderdale Tops For Gay Tourism

In what a local guesthouse owner labeled "a bit of sweet revenge" for local activists, readers of Out Traveler have named Fort Lauderdale the top resort destination for gay vacationers. Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitor’s Bureau CEO Nicki Grossman, who was instrumental in the removal of anti-gay Mayor Jim Naugle from Broward County's tourism board, said, "It’s a wonderful crown to wear, The bottom line is he [Naugle] was barking up the wrong tree.”

Grossman added, “He doesn’t know anything about marketing. We’ve repeatedly responded to his complaints about our advertising, and we’ve never scared off one single family from our destination. His words have scared them off, but our advertising has not."

Despite their opposition to Naugle's hate tactics, the Convention Bureau did remove its "Health and Fitness" listings from their gay tourism materials, deleting references to bathhouses.

(Via - Express Gay News.)

Naugle Causes Rift Among Black Activists

Fort Lauderdale's Naugle debacle is causing a rift among local black activists, with the NAACP coming down on the side of gay activists. On the other side, some black ministers are decrying the NAACP's involvement, with one saying, ''The NAACP is getting away from their mission . . . the organization never got involved with sex sins. Homosexuals have masterfully redefined words to suit their cause . . . theirs is not a civil rights issue.'' NAACP Chairman Julian Bond recently endorsed gay marriage, further enraging black fundamentalists.

But some black religious leaders are no friends of Naugle. Rev. Rosalind Osgood: ''He's continued to be downright derogatory about various groups of people different from himself, whether they be black, poor or gay. My faith doesn't allow me to support the practice of homosexuality, but no one should be degraded . . . Jesus loves everybody regardless of their sins or other problems.''

Matt Foreman Rips Into Naugle

Matt Foreman, Executive Director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, spoke at yesterday's Flush Naugle rally, where he issued a blistering call for Naugle to be "shunned" and "not allowed at any gathering where decent people are." Local police estimated the crowd attending the rally at between 800-1000, staggering numbers, particularly for a town that has been been very sleepy regarding gay activism. Watch the video - Matt Foreman fucking ROCKS. Big thanks to Father Tony for providing the video.



UPDATE: Towleroad has a big post up with lots of pics of the rally.

On The Scene At Flush Naugle Rally

Roving JMG reporter Father Tony is in Fort Lauderdale where he dropped in at the Unite Fort Lauderdale-sponsored Flush Naugle rally in the parking lot of the Shoppes of Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale's all-gay shopping center. Local activists are demanding the Major Jim "Robo-john" Naugle either step down or apologize for his anti-gay statements.

At the rally, Tony interviewed Waymon Hudson (left), president of Fight Out Loud, a fledging gay activist group born of the infamous "death to homosexuals" intercom announcement made at Fort Lauderdale International. Hudson and his partner were at the airport when the announcement was made and through their activism, a apology was made to the gay community by the mayor of Broward County and the evildoer was terminated. To contribute to the work of Fight Out Loud, follow this link.

Here's a minute-long interview Tony did with Hudson.

Naugle Loses Bid To Stop Gay Library Move

Over the protests of Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, the city commission voted to allow the Stonewall gay and lesbian book collection to be housed on city property. The archive is currently stored in a commerical property that is being redeveloped.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve the Stonewall Library and Archives request to move the extensive book, magazine and video collection to ArtSpace library at Holiday Park. The county-run library is owned by the city. Some of the titles on a list that city staff compiled: 100 Percent Beef, Arab Slave Boys, and Lesbian Bedtime Stories. "I had no idea this was what the homosexual book collection was all about," Naugle said before the meeting, showing a pack of nude gay magazines that city staff said are part of the Stonewall collection. "It's a shame it had to come out during this whole toilet controversy," he said. "They'll think it's some anti-gay thing — um, anti-homosexual."

The Miami Herald:

Broward County leaders approved the [library's] move last month. The Stonewall Library annually draws about 9,000 users -- who must be 18 or older -- for reading and research. Stonewall has been seeking the right location for more than a year, and believes the 4,350 square feet at the library is a perfect fit. The move will be partially funded through the John C. Graves Charitable Trust, named after a late historian, writer and philanthropist in the gay community.

Mr. Roboto

Jim Naugle, the anti-gay mayor of gay gay gay Fort Lauderdale is obsessed with gay sex. So much so, he's installed a robotic motorized toilet on the gay beach to keep gay men from having sex in the beach's public restrooms, despite that local police say there is no such problem.

The $250,000 toilet, similar to those seen on the streets of San Francisco, opens its door automatically after several minutes, too short a time for men to fuck, according to Naugle. The public restrooms are several blocks from the gay beach, so the boys are probably happy to have the robo-john, even though Naugle's intent is typically nutso.

Fort Lauderdale Stands Up To Hate

Press release from Waymon Hudson of Florida's Fight OUT Loud:

Fight OUT Loud is very disturbed to learn of the recent string of anti-gay crimes in Broward County. First, there was the senseless murder of 17 year-old Simmie Williams Jr, which Police are investigating as a possible hate crime based on his sexual orientation or gender identity. Then, a gay couple was brutally attacked and gay-bashed in the popular tourist area of Las Olas Blvd while having anti-gay slurs screamed at them.

These events point to a very unsettling trend in South Florida. There seems to be an atmosphere of intolerance being created in South Florida. We at Fight OUT Loud cannot help but see the connection between the virulent anti-gay rhetoric of people like Jim Naugle and the Florida4Marriage group and wonder if their continued demonization of the LGBT community is leading to this increase in anti-gay violence. The dangerous, hate-filled words of these people have inflamed violence against innocent members of our community and must not go unchallenged.

[snip]

Join the coalition of community leaders and organizations as we gather to remember Simmie and stand up against the rising tide of violence Thursday, Feb 28th at 4:30 for a memorial service at the murder site at the 1000 block of Sistrunk Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale. Immediately following, join community leaders and elected officials for a town hall at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (1717 N. Andrews Ave.) at 6:30.

Yesterday the bashing victim from the Floridian diner incident blamed Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle for inciting hatred of gays. The police have not made an arrest in the attack.

954-828-5004

Things have a little heavy on the news from Fort Naugledale in gay blogland, but as a former resident with many friends living there, I am compelled to persist. Therefore, I can't resist showing you this video from some rinky-dink outfit called Active Christian Media, who ask for support for Nauglepoo. Many are speculating that the Christian right is grooming Naugle for higher office once his lame duck term expires.

I say do as the video asks. Call Toilet Boy and tell him what you think.

RELATED: UNITE Fort Lauderdale does NOT want a gay boycott. Many of our folks' livelihoods depend on the gay tourist trade. Naugle is an aberration in an otherwise very supportive city and county government.

Liberal Bigs Back Flush Naugle Campaign

If you are in Fort Lauderdale today, get on down to City Hall (at 100 N. Andrews Avenue) by 4pm for a massive Flush Naugle rally. DJ Julian Marsh will be spinning tunes to inspire the crowd beginning at 3:30 PM. Speakers will begin taking the stage at 4:30pm and there will be a "Power To The People" after party following the rally at Art Bar at 6:30PM.

An impressive rosters of national and local speakers will be on hand for today's rally:
-Matt Foreman, Executive director of The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
-Carlton Moore, Fort Lauderdale Vice-Mayor
-Howard Simon, Florida Executive Director of the ACLU
-Stacey Ritter, Broward County Commissioner
-Andrew L. Rosenkranz, Florida Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League
-Ken Keechl, Broward County Commissioner
-Nadine Smith, Executive Director Equality Florida
-Mitch Ceasar, Chairman, Broward County Democratic Party
-Scott Newton, Mayor of Wilton Manors

Guest Post - Bradley Carlson

Last Sunday I posted an article which claimed that gays are fleeing Miami Beach for Fort Lauderdale and other places. The article and its author Natalie O'Neill, who cited rising hate crimes as part of the reason for the exodus, have since come under some criticism both at home and here in NYC. O'Neill appeared on Michelangelo Signorile's SiriusXM show on Wednesday to discuss the article and the response. Below, JMG reader Bradley Carlson defends his adopted hometown.

Last week, the Miami New Times, a free local newspaper with a circulation of about 70,000, printed a cover story proclaiming that, in the wake of increasing hate violence, gays are leaving South Beach “in droves” and heading to “friendlier” Fort Lauderdale. My gay South Beach friends and I were stunned. Why didn’t we get that memo? What shocked us most is that the New Times got it so incredibly wrong. Not just wrong in terms of personal opinions about which place is better; their data were wrong.

The Miami New Times article wove a story of anti-gay violence that made it seem like homophobia in South Beach has reached epidemic proportions. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, since gay people started migrating to South Beach in the 1980s, violent crime of all sorts has steadily declined. Nobody who spent time here in the 1980s and 1990s could honestly say they feel less safe walking the streets nowadays.

Contrary to the story spun by the New Times, Broward County, which contains Fort Lauderdale and the gayborhood of Wilton Manors, has a lot more hate crime than Miami-Dade. The Miami Herald's Steve Rothaus writes:

"According to Florida’s latest annual hate crime statistics, Miami-Dade County (including Miami Beach) reported 18 hate crimes total, including 4 based upon sexual orientation. Broward County (including Fort Lauderdale/Wilton Manors) ranks No. 1 statewide with 25 total hate crimes, including 9 based upon sexual orientation."

To put it another way, Broward County, with a population one quarter less than Miami-Dade, has THREE TIMES the incidence of anti-gay hate crime.

Let’s not pretend that Florida, legally and politically, doesn’t have plenty of problems with homophobia. Last year, Florida voters passed Amendment 2, a referendum that put anti-gay language relating to relationships into the State Constitution. Florida is still the only state in the country that bans adoption by gay people—although a court ruling is expected soon that could change that. But at the level of politics and public policy important to LGBT people, Miami-Dade, and Miami Beach in particular, leads Florida. In a state with more than its share of intolerant right-wingers, Miami Beach is an oasis.

If there was ever a story to be told about gays leaving South Beach, it was about 15 years ago, when real estate prices started rising and many of the gay men who’d moved here to either retire or party (or both) could no longer afford it. The real story today is that the environment for the LGBT community in South Beach is better than ever. We have one of the most pro-gay mayors in the country, a city commission that works actively to address LGBT issues, and we have recently had two openly gay city commissioners in succession. Significant progress has been made at the level of policy and politics, making South Beach one of the most progressive, tolerant and gay-friendly places in the country. And with housing prices coming back down to earth, it’s once again possible to buy or rent apartments at reasonable prices.

Just last week, Miami Beach passed a revised Human Rights Ordinance that strengthens enforcement of already existing human rights laws and adds protections for transgendered people, making Miami Beach’s human rights laws the most progressive in the state. Miami Beach residents have been able to register as domestic partners since 2004; in 2008 this benefit was extended to all of Miami-Dade County.

Fort Lauderdale, and heavily Republican Broward County, is quite different. Despite the fact that the small gayborhood of Wilton Manors (pop. 12,879) has an openly gay mayor and a lot of gay bars, the surrounding City of Fort Lauderdale is hardly a paragon of tolerance. Fort Lauderdale is the city that elected for six consecutive terms outspokenly anti-gay mayor, Jim Naugle who, along with his cadre of right-wing supporters, spent several months in 2007 using the non-issue of sex in public restrooms to scapegoat, stereotype and vilify local gays.

It is true that Fort Lauderdale has a greater number of self-identified gay bars than South Beach, but I hope we can all agree that there’s more to a community than its bar scene. During a typical South Beach winter, people South Beach—gay and straight—are busy with almost-weekly events, such as Art Basel, the Food & Wine Festival, Miami Spice, the Boat Show, the White Party, the Winter Party, the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Art Deco Weekend, Miami Beach Gay Pride Weekend, Aqua Girl and the bi-weekly Lincoln Road flea market.

People who cut their teeth on Miami Beach’s gay scene in the 1980s and early 1990s often lament the closing of the great gay clubs Paragon, Warsaw and Salvation. But in their place, numerous and ever-changing gay nights and roving parties have sprung up, such as Buck 15, Crème Lounge and Martini Tuesdays. In the thick of South Beach, we still have the longstanding gay bars Score and Twist, the lounge bar Mova (formerly Halo), and the new Bar 721 which has taken over the former Laundry Bar space. And of course, there’s the oceanfront staple, the Palace, always a popular destination after a sunny Sunday on the gay beach. Another new bar, Azucar, is scheduled to open soon. There are a number of newer gay places just across the bay in Miami, such as Discotekka. From time to time, fun new parties pop up, like UUFF! at Newsbar, which had a several month run last summer and I’m told is being resurrected soon.

One of the best things about South Beach is that you can walk everywhere. The gay beach, Lincoln Road, the hotel strip on Collins Avenue, the Jackie Gleason Theater, Regal Cinemas, hundreds of restaurants and shops, and the gay bars are all within walking distance of each other—or, if you’re feeling lazy, a quick ride in an easy-to-find taxi. Soon, the new Frank Gehry-designed New World Symphony building will open, offering symphony and other cultural events in the heart of everything.

In Fort Lauderdale, if you want to enjoy the beach, Las Olas shopping, and the gay bars of Wilton Manors, you must have a car, since they’re separated by miles of (not-so-pretty) roads, which are often clogged with traffic during peak times. Not only does this add to the cost of a visit but more importantly, for drinkers, it means chancing a DUI, or worse.

When it comes to large-scale social and fundraising events, South Beach is the undisputed leader. South Beach hosts one of the nation's largest and most successful LGBT fundraisers, the Winter Party, which benefits the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Now in its 16th year, the Winter Party is an enormous beachfront dance party that draws approximately ten thousand revelers annually from all over the world. Miami also hosts the White Party at Vizcaya, the worlds oldest and largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser, which benefits Care Resources, an HIV/AIDS service organization. Miami also hosts the annual Miami Recognition Dinner, a large benefit that last year raised over $325,000 for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the South Florida LGBT nonprofit organizations.

Last year, with support from the Mayor Matti Bower and the City Commission, Miami Beach resurrected its annual Gay Pride Parade, which drew thousands of mostly local residents for an all-day parade and festival on Ocean Drive. We also have an active Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, whose membership includes over 600 gay-owned and gay-supportive businesses. On April 1, the Chamber, with support from the City of Miami Beach, is opening an LGBT Visitors Center in the heart of South Beach.

The truth is, South Beach and Fort Lauderdale both have their merits, and we all know that the biggest factor in one’s enjoyment of any place is the attitude they bring with them. Decisions about where to vacation and live depend mostly on people’s personal preferences, economics, and ties to friends. As someone who’s been coming to South Beach from New York City since the mid-1990s and in 2006 made it my primary home, I can tell you there is no exodus of gays. In my experience, falling hotel and condo prices have spurred an influx of gay folks like we haven’t seen in a long time.

Bradley Carlson, Miami Beach.