Oakland Park Vice Mayor Anthony Niedwiecki, husband Waymon Hudson announce move to Chicago

BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com

Oakland Park Vice Mayor Anthony Niedwiecki and his husband, gay activist Waymon Hudson, have announced they’re leaving breezy South Florida for the Windy City.

“I am happy and excited to report that I have been offered and I have accepted a high level administrative and faculty position at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois,” Niedwiecki posted Wednesday night on his Facebook page. “My position will put me in charge of one of the best legal skills program in the nation, as it was recently ranked number 4 by US News and World Report.”

Niedwiecki, 43, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University, and Hudson became instant local celebrities and activists in 2007 after a skycap broadcast an anti-gay Bible message over a loudspeaker at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

"We heard over the PA system that a man who lies with a man as he would a woman will be subject to death, " Niedwiecki told me shortly after the incident.

Both men then became well-known activists in the Fort Lauderdale area, starting a gay-rights group called Fight OUT Loud. Hudson, 31, also has become a nationally known blogger, frequently writing for The Bilerico Project.

In 2008, the couple married in California.

In 2009, Niedwiecki won a seat on the Oakland Park commission. He currently is vice mayor and plans to resign effective June 1.

Photo of Waymon Hudson, left, and Anthony Niedwiecki by Bob Eighmie /  Miami Herald file

Comments

[Tom]

Good riddance! our community will be better off without Waymon, who IMHO, just continued the stereotype of flaky little twinks.

[p]

Enjoy Chicago! It's a much more civilized place to live than anywhere in Florida.

[Really?!?]

Tom-

maybe the ones continuing the stereotype are people like you, who judge based on how old someone looks rather than what they accomplish. These two have done so much for our community down here. Waymon was great during the Naugle fiasco, showing grace and wisdom for any age in handling the media and combating the continued attacks on our community.

It's a diservice to our community to not recognize the good people do and try to put them in little boxes to make ourselves feel better. I applaud young people for taking leadership roles and filling what can often be a vacuum of activism and determination in South Florida.

Thanks to both Anthony and Waymon for years of leadership and for raising the bar on what dedicated people can accomplish, despite a persnickety and sometimes self-defeating community.

[myron]

Chicago is very homophobic. Store purposely do not want to sell vasoline.

[Tom]

@Really?!? -
Actually, I had dealings with him and he was - let's say - EXTREMELY difficult to deal with. I hope he and daddy have a very successful life in Chicago.

[Ed]

The minute I saw there were comments to the story I was pretty certain there would be a mean-spirited diatribe posted to it. I wasn't wrong.

That's the downside to this new communication age we have. Everyone has a forum for their opinion, regardless of whether or not the take the time to support their opinions with any level of fact.

Tom is probably also the type that's never written a thank you note in his life. People like him get tiresome after a while.

[steve]

gee, they look uptight and unhappy in that photo. chicago is extemely racist and divisive. good luck, you can always come back

[Bil Browning]

@Tom - As the owner and founder of Bilerico Project - a site where Waymon is an editor - I have had quite the opposite experience with Waymon.

I've found him to be easy to work with, dedicated, responsible, and eager to work toward full equality for all without having to resort to bitter tired tactics of division.

You could do well to learn some of those techniques yourself.

[Waymon Hudson]

Thanks for the nice post, Steve!

Anthony & I are sad, but excited with our new move. South Florida has shaped the activists we are today and we plan on continuing the fight for equality where ever we go.

I am proud of the work we did here in South Florida and thankful for the friends and colleagues we made along the way.

I do think the "serious" photo from back during the "anti-gay death threat over the airport intercom" days is very humorous. Obviously the direction are lives have taken us since then has definitely left us smiling, happy, and more dedicated to the cause than ever!