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Fort Lauderdale
mayor stages mock apology

Fort Lauderdale
mayor stages mock apology

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Nearly 1,000 people gathered at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.'s City Hall Tuesday to protest the inflammatory comments of the city's mayor, Jim Naugle, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Nearly 1,000 people gathered at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.'s City Hall Tuesday to protest the inflammatory comments of the city's mayor, Jim Naugle, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Naugle ran into trouble earlier this month when he backed the idea of the city buying smaller, free-standing toilets for the beach because they would cut down on "homosexual sex" between gay men. He went on to say that he used the term "homosexual" rather than "gay" because, in his estimation, homosexuals are "unhappy."

According to the Sun-Sentinel, Broward County commissioner Stacy Ritter, one of three county commissioners who spoke at the protest, told the crowd, "Mayor Naugle speaks for one very small person: himself."

Naugle had lured reporters to a press conference earlier that day by saying he would make a brief speech "including an apology." At the event he noted that Broward leads the nation in new AIDS cases resulting from men having sex with men and suggested that the county reconsider whether to continue welcoming gay tourists.

Then he made good on his promise to reporters: "I want to apologize to the children and parents of our community for not being aware of the problem.... I apologize for not bringing this forward earlier. Maybe some lives could have been saved."

People at the rally said Naugle's outrageous comments have united the community.

Lifelong resident Lori Parrish, the county property appraiser, said, "On behalf of the public officials in Broward County, we apologize for him not being man enough to do so." (The Advocate)

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