
Florida Cities Come Out Against Naugle
DANIA BEACH, FL -- Dania Beach, a neighbor city of Fort
Lauderdale, is hoping to take advantage of anti-gay remarks by Fort
Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle to attract tourists and new residents.
Leading the effort is gay activist Joe Van Eron, founder and president of
the Dania Beach Tourism Council,
who
recently persuaded commissioners to pass a resolution stating Dania Beach
"prides itself on being a community that is inclusive and welcoming,
rather than divisive," Sun-Sentinel reports.
While Broward County, Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors already have taken
a similar position, Van Eron said Dania Beach couldn't remain silent
because it has been a steady destination for gay travelers and up to 20
percent of the city's residents are homosexual.
Roger Handevidt, chairman of the Rainbow Alliance, which represents a
group of gay-owned and gay-friendly hotels in the county, called the
city's resolution "a very enlightened move."
While it may not necessarily sway visitors to make Dania Beach their
primary destination, Handevidt told Sun-Sentinel, "what it will do is that
there won't be a red flag saying: We don't want you."
Van Eron, 58, said Naugle gave a "black eye" to Broward and its
municipalities by accusing gays of having sex in public bathrooms. He said
some African-American groups have told him they had second thoughts about
holding family reunions in the county because they interpreted Naugle's
remarks as a civil issue.
"Hate is hate and hate doesn't have any color," Van Eron said.
The resolution, he added, "is not just about visitors. We want people to
come visit, live and work in Dania." |