The Gist

Boycott Fort Lauderdale?

On the show we've been innundated for the past couple of weeks with calls from across the country from people who have vowed not to go to Fort Lauderdale with their money because of Mayor Naugle's crusdade against gays.

Personally, I'm opposed to any boycott of this kind that a local community does not support. Unite Fort Lauderdale and other groups in the local community have asked people not to boycott, unlike the boycott of Colorado some years back that groups from within the state called for and supported (because of an antigay referendum that the voters themselves passed -- not because of one politician who went kooky.)

Nonetheless, I want to make sure we're airing both sides as businesses begin to fear a backlash. Fort Lauderdale is a huge gay destination, with GLBT travelers representing 11% of the tourism dollars the city takes in. Today on the show we had Nicki Grossman from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitor's Bureau as well as a local gay businessman man, Richard Gray (owner of the Royal Palms Resort), to respond to passionate listeners who have called for a boycott. My guests did a good job explaining why a boycott would hurt local gay-owned businesses, though some listeners felt there wasn't a committment from the guests in getting the local community to get rid of Naugle, even through a recall. That seemed to be the only thing that would satisfy these particular listeners.

Just as with our discussion about this topic last week, the opinions were spirited on both sides, and many people called in, from inside and outside Florida, who were vehemently opposed to a boycott. I'm glad the show could be a national forum for this discussion. What do you think of a boycott?