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The place is Oakland Park, which is holding several elections for city commissioner. One of those races, for Seat 4 to be precise, has made Oakland Park the latest battleground in the ongoing culture war between Broward County's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (and our allies) and the religious right followers of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and its political arm, the Center for Reclaiming America. To most observers, Broward's LGBT community is largely limited to Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors, cities with the greatest queer populations, businesses, organizations and clout. This ignores Oakland Park, a bedroom community just north of Wilton Manors. For years lesbian and gay individuals and businesses have settled down in Oakland Park, a process that has slowly but surely changed that city's economic and social climate. This queer migration into Oakland Park helped elect Chris Wilson to the city commission in 1993, making Oakland Park the second of only two Broward municipalities (after Wilton Manors) to ever elect an openly gay person to its governing board.
One such candidate is Roger Mann, a retired police officer and firefighter who is running for Commission Seat 4 on a platform of "traditional family values". Trusting that many Oakland Park voters share his values, Mann has made the gay menace the centerpiece of his campaign, claiming to be "the only heterosexual candidate" in a race against John O'Sullivan, Vice President of the OP/WM Chamber of Commerce, and community activist Larry Gierer. Though Mann agrees that gays "make good neighbors", he does not want them on the city commission, arguing that Oakland Park is "not ready to be another Wilton Manors". While campaigning from door to door, Mann makes a point to contrast his opponents' alleged sexual orientation with his own status as "a heterosexual" and "a Christian." As if outing Gierer and O'Sullivan wasn't bad enough, Mann has been going around telling the voters (according to Larry Gierer) not to shake Gierer's hand because "Gierer has AIDS." Mann and his followers support their dubious arguments with antigay literature they took from the Center for Reclaiming America's Web site. To their credit, Mann's mudslinging does not seem to faze his opponents. Gierer, who's openly gay, has not disclosed his health status, rightly believing it to be none of our business. For his part O'Sullivan, an officer in the Navy Reserve, has not made a public statement about his sexuality one way or another. Mann based his outing of O'Sullivan on nothing more substantial than the support that O'Sullivan has received from members of the Dolphin Democratic Club and the local Gay Business Network. An article to that effect, which appeared in the local gay media, has been copied and distributed by Mann and his supporters as part of Mann's campaign literature. Though the religious right has many capable, experienced men and women-- Janet Folger, for example, would make a formidable candidate--Roger Mann is not one of them. In fact, Mann has nothing going for him except his capacity to spew hate and bigotry. On the other hand, both Larry Gierer and John O'Sullivan are highly talented and qualified for the sometimes difficult job of city commissioner. It is to the credit of the Oakland Park political and business establishment that it has not fallen for Mann's bigotry. Vice Mayor Caryl Stevens has condemned Mann's homophobic tactics; and both the Police Benevolent Association and the Firefighter's Union have endorsed O'Sullivan. Even the Center for Reclaiming America is staying away from this mess.
A Brief Note: Since I am always quick to criticize the members of the Bush Administration, it is only fair that I should compliment them for doing something positive. Recently Lynne Cheney, the wife of Prime Minister, I mean, Vice President Dick Cheney, condemned Sir Elton John for doing a duet at the Grammys with the famously homophobic rapper Eminem. "This certainly isn't the first time, but Eminem is certainly, I think, the most extreme example of rock lyrics used to demean women, advocate violence against women, violence against gay people," Cheney told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Elton John has been good in the past about speaking out on issues of equality for gay people, on issues of being against violence language against gay people. . . I am quite amazed and dismayed that he would choose to perform with Eminem." Though Cheney's comments were more anti-Eminem than pro-gay, and though I don't expect Cheney to join P-FLAG anytime soon, she deserves credit where credit is due. And thanks, Mary, for educating your mother. Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer who lives in South Florida with his domestic partner of over 15 years. He may be reached at jessemonteagudo@aol.com. |
Jim Stork (second from right), seen here in his coffee shop Stork's, is one of Oakland Park and Wilton Manor's many gay business owners 
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