Hazards Of Truth Telling In Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Gets Queerly Beloved Upset Alert)

Worldnetdaily.com ^ | 07/19/2007 | Andrew Longman

[goldstategop]

The straight talk express may have blown a gasket around the beltway, but it is running redline up and down I-95 in South Florida. Mayor Jim Naugle of Fort Lauderdale is being demeaned by the hedonist press of the region because he made a few claims that, while they are easily supported by data, run counter to the Broward state religion.

Here is a list of his sins, as recorded in the Sun-Sentinel's encyclicals.

First, Naugle said he does not use the term "gay" because homosexuals are "unhappy."

Second, he claims his city has a problem with men using public restrooms for sex.

To combat the second issue, he tried to have the city purchase toilets that clean themselves and open the door after a few minutes, to stop the illegal behavior.

For these ideas, he is being shot at by the pagan-left more furiously than an electric Gatling gun.

But before we proceed immediately to the knee-jerk emotional reaction, can't we first pause and ask whether objectivity would generally confirm or refute the mayor's statements?

(Column continues below)

On unhappiness, there are many public instances of famous homosexuals being clinically depressed: Greg Louganis, the famous diver, Mel White, former evangelical author. In the experience of many people, the depressed homosexual is almost an iconic stereotype. But where anecdotal evidence orients a reference frame for identifying in the human sense, it hardly proves a case. And when we are observing a broad negative about a group of people, people for whom God cares, we shouldn't conclude based just on anecdote or uninformed personal suspicion.

A few more objective points of fact, then, quoted from Exodus International:

* In "Understanding Your Teenager's Depression" by Kathleen McCoy, doctors Gary Remafedi, James Farrow and Robert Deisher "found that in one sample of 5,000 homosexual men and women, 40 percent had seriously considered or attempted suicide."

* In Charles Socarides' "Beyond Sexual Freedom," he writes, "37 percent of Harvard-Radcliffe student suicide attempts between 1963 and 1967 were made by individuals severely disturbed by homosexual conflicts."

* In "Straight & Narrow?" Thomas Schmidt writes, "... there is overwhelming evidence that certain mental disorders occur with much higher frequency among homosexuals. The most thoroughly documented problems are alcohol and drug abuse disorders, depression and suicide."

* Arno Karlen writes in "Sexuality and Homosexuality," "Almost everyone who has written about homosexuality speaks of higher-than-average rates of depression and suicide among them, and some of this is attributed to the loneliness of aging."

It hardly seems to be bias or conjecture on the mayor's part, then, that homosexuals are, in general, "unhappy." To say so is to reference the state of published scientific consensus, not to hurl a scurrilous prejudice.

Continuing, is there evidence homosexuals use bathrooms for public sex often enough to warrant a law enforcement problem? First, we should reflect on the last time we heard of any public law enforcement organization conducting sting operations to prevent heterosexual sex in public bathrooms. While one is sure it must have happened at some point in history, the incidence is disparate enough, compared to reporting on the homosexual variant, to make the contrast well-known to the average person.

* 365Gay.com says the Fort Lauderdale beach is "long a favorite of gay tourists who bring millions of dollars … each year."

* The problem of illegal public sex in male bathrooms in Atlanta is so bad, police stings working on completely different issues keep running into the problem without looking for it.

* Undercover cops in Riverside, Calif., have also been dispatched to try to rein in their local problem.

* Homosexual online culture regularly highlights public bathrooms as tourist destinations for illegal activity. Heterosexuals do not advertise toilets as sex tourism destinations with any similarity that approaches parity.

So, while Naugle's comments may offend some groups, the factual basis for his remarks is reasonable enough. We cannot conclude they are based first on animus. And if the facts support his statements, on what basis does the hedonist press lambaste him for trying to solve a law enforcement problem, which is the mayor's job? If homosexuals in Fort Lauderdale are engaging in rampant illegal behavior and as a constituency struggle with depression, couldn't the Mayor's remarks be construed as simply trying to address a public health problem?

It's not an easy thing to address; no one likes to have his or her difficulties publicized. But attacking the messenger is not the solution.

[goldstategop]

Queerly Beloved Health Hazards Bump

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[massgopguy]

Check the Classified Ad section of any newspaper that caters to the underside of society. There are as many ads for mental health groups as there are for “escorts”.