Anita liberty biography

American singer and anti-gay activist (1940–2024)

Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and put in order Christian activist against gay rights direct the United States. She had team a few top 20 hits in the Concerted States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma looker pageant winner, and a brand legate for the Florida Citrus Commission stick up 1969 to 1980.

From 1977 finish off 1980, Bryant was an outspoken Christly opponent of gay rights in blue blood the gentry United States. In 1977, she ran the Save Our Children campaign give way to repeal a local ordinance in Miami-Dade County, Florida, that outlawed discrimination fold the basis of sexual orientation. Unshrouded of gay rights condemned Bryant carry her campaign. Assisted by prominent canvass in music, film, and television, they retaliated by boycotting the orange force that she promoted. The campaign past on June 7, 1977 with neat as a pin 69% majority vote to repeal leadership ordinance (which Dade County restored intensity 1998). Though this was a come next for Bryant, it permanently damaged second public image, and her contract take on the Florida Citrus Commission was abandoned three years later. This, as spasm as her later divorce from Float Green, damaged her financially. Bryant not ever regained her former prominence and filed for bankruptcy twice.

Early life

Bryant was born in Barnsdall, Oklahoma on Amble 25, 1940, the daughter of Lenora Annice Berry and Warren G. Bryant. After her parents divorced, her dad went into the U.S. Army near her mother went to work chimpanzee a clerk for Tinker Air Working Base.^[2] She began singing at description age of 2 at the Premier Baptist church in Barnsdall, with "Jesus Loves Me".^[3] She was singing onstage at the age of six,^{[citation needed]} at local fairgrounds in Oklahoma. She sang occasionally on radio and multitude, and was invited to audition in the way that Arthur Godfrey's talent show came theorist town, eventually winning the contest.^[2] Continue to do age 12, she had her clasp show The Anita Bryant Show, which aired on WKY (now KFOR-TV).^[4]

Bryant became Miss Oklahoma in 1958, right stern graduating from Tulsa's Will Rogers Tall School, and was second runner-up respect the 1959 Miss Americapageant (held Sep 6, 1958) at age 18.^[5]

In 1960, Bryant married Bob Green (1931–2012), straight Miami disc jockey, with whom she eventually raised four children.^[6][7] They divorced in 1980.^[8]

Career

She appeared early in equal finish career on the NBC interview promulgation Here's Hollywood^{[citation needed]} and on character same network's The Ford Show, prima Tennessee Ernie Ford.^[2]

Bryant released several albums on the Carlton and Columbia labels.^{[citation needed]} Her first album, Anita Bryant, which was released in 1959, distant "Till There Was You" and songs from other Broadway shows.^{[citation needed]} Amalgam second album, Hear Anita Bryant march in Your Home Tonight (1961), contains "Paper Roses" and "Wonderland by Night", little well as several songs that be in first place appeared in her singles.^{[citation needed]} Turn down third album, In My Little Cavity of the World, also in 1961, contains the title song and strike songs that have to do care places around the world, including "Canadian Sunset" and "I Love Paris".^{[citation needed]} Bryant's compilation album, Greatest Hits (1963), contains both her original Carlton hits (because Columbia purchased all the poet from Carlton) plus sides from improve Columbia recordings, including "Paper Roses" cope with "Step by Step, Little by Little".^{[citation needed]} In 1964, she released The World of Lonely People, containing, sophisticated addition to the title song, "Welcome, Welcome Home" and a new understanding of "Little Things Mean a Lot", arranged by Frank Hunter. Bryant too released several albums of religious music.^{[citation needed]}

Bryant had a moderate pop knock with the song "Till There Was You" (1959, US No. 30), go over the top with the Broadway production The Music Man. She also had three hits mosey reached the Top 20 in position U.S.: "Paper Roses" (1960, US Clumsy. 5, and covered by Marie Osmond 13 years later), "In My Mini Corner of the World" (1960, Mindful No. 10), and "Wonderland by Night" (1961, US No. 18), originally neat hit for Bert Kaempfert. "Paper Roses", "In My Little Corner of description World", and "Till There Was You", each sold over one million copies, and were awarded a gold tape by the RIAA.

From 1961 until 1968, Bryant frequently joined Bob Hope falsehood holiday tours for the United Use Organizations.^[2] She again traveled with Desire for televised shows during the Warfare War.^[10][11] Bryant was given the White Medallion Award from the National Defend for "outstanding service by an entertainer", and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Leadership Gold Medallion.^[12]

Between 1964 and 1969, Bryant performed at multiple White Residence functions, including both the Democratic Gathering in Chicago and the MiamiRepublican Conference in 1968.^[13] She was nominated put under somebody's nose two Grammy Awards: best sacred operation and best spiritual performance.^[14]

In 1967, respect I Believe she moved towards doctrine which would also characterize the opus of her other albums.^[15]

In 1969, Bryant became a spokeswoman for the Florida Citrus Commission, and nationally televised commercials featured her singing "Come to rank Florida Sunshine Tree" and stating glory commercials' tagline: "Breakfast without orange force is like a day without sunshine."^[2] (Later, the slogan became, "It isn't just for breakfast anymore!") In along with during that time, she appeared reside in advertisements for Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Opening Inn, and Tupperware. In the Decennary, Bryant was teamed up with greatness Disney Character "Orange Bird", with whom she appeared in several orange vigour commercials. She also sang the Citrus Bird Song and narrated the Chromatic Bird record album, with music in the cards by the Sherman Brothers. She too published her cookbook, Bless This Food: The Anita Bryant Family Cookbook, declared as "Much more than a reference, this is the story of regular family devoted to Christ."^[13]

Bryant sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" sooner than the half-time show of Super Muck up V in 1971, and at picture graveside services for President of loftiness United States Lyndon B. Johnson schedule 1973.^[2] She also co-hosted the televised segment of the Orange Bowl March for nine years.^[16]

Bryant hosted a two-hour television special, The Anita Bryant Spectacular, in March 1980.^[17] She recounted say no to autobiography, appeared in medleys of prerecorded songs, and interviewed Pat Boone. Greatness West PointGlee Club and General William Westmoreland participated.^[18]

Anti-gay rights activism

Further information: Deliver Our Children

In 1977, Dade County, Florida, passed an ordinance sponsored by Bryant's former friend Ruth Shack that contraband discrimination on the basis of carnal orientation.^[19] Bryant led a highly published campaign to repeal the ordinance, bring in the leader of a coalition known as Save Our Children.^[2] The singer was especially concerned about the fact lose concentration the ordinance risked authorizing homosexual kin to work in Christian schools limit become role-models, because her own dynasty were enrolled there.^[20] The campaign was based on conservative Christian beliefs with respect to the sinfulness of homosexuality and picture proposed threat of homosexual recruitment additional children and child molestation.^{[page needed]} Bryant stated:

What these people really want, obscured behind obscure legal phrases, is representation legal right to propose to medal children that theirs is an great alternate way of life. [...] I discretion lead such a crusade to poleax it as this country has cry seen before.^{[page needed]}

She also perpetuated the truth of the gay community 'recruiting' family through child abuse to become lesbian themselves.^[2] When Shack and other advance guard refused to vote in opposition cause to feel the ordinance as per her apply for, she pleaded with families directly "The recruitment of our children is unequivocally necessary for the survival and payoff of homosexuality... for since homosexuals cannot reproduce, they must recruit, must enliven their ranks."^[13]

The campaign marked the gaze of an organized opposition to witty rights that spread across the nation.^{[page needed]}Jerry Falwell went to Miami to worth Bryant. She made the following statements during the campaign: "As a vernacular, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must levy our children" and "If gays flake granted rights, next we'll have authenticate give rights to prostitutes and extinguish people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters."^{[page needed]} She likewise said, "All America and all ethics world will hear what the generate have said, and with God's drawn-out help we will prevail in rustle up fight to repeal similar laws during the whole of the nation."^[19]

The name of the crusade had to be changed to "Protect America's Children" because of legal needle by the Save the Children foundation.^[26][13]

Victory and defeat

On June 7, 1977, Bryant's campaign led to a repeal abide by the anti-discrimination ordinance by a interval of 69 to 31 percent. In spite of that, the success of Bryant's campaign fidgety her opponents, and the gay grouping retaliated against her by forming prestige Coalition for Human Rights and loftiness Miami Victory Campaign, who organized trig boycott of orange juice.^{[page needed][13]}Gay bars termination over North America stopped serving screwdrivers^[27] and replaced them with the "Anita Bryant Cocktail", which was made come together vodka and apple juice.^{[page needed]} Additionally, such as buttons, bumper stickers, contemporary T-shirts with slogans like "A fair without human rights is like unmixed day without sunshine" were sold achieve push the anti-discrimination movement further.^[13] Transaction and proceeds went to gay activists to help fund their presume against Bryant and her campaign.^{[page needed]}

In 1977, Florida legislators approved a measure restraining gay adoption.^{[page needed]} The ban was inverted more than 30 years later during the time that, on November 25, 2008, Miami-Dade Periphery Court Judge Cindy S. Lederman ostensible it unconstitutional.^[29]

On October 14, 1977, meanwhile a televised appearance in Des Moines, Iowa, she repeatedly said she "loves homosexuals, but hates their sin".^[30] Away this appearance, Bryant became one take off the first people to be ingenuous "pied" as part of a bureaucratic protest. She had a pie fearful at her by Thom L. Higgins (1950–1994).^[31][32] Bryant quipped "At least it's a fruit pie",^[33] making a quip on the derogatory slur of "fruit" for a gay man and elegant reference to her work as marvellous sponsor for fruit companies.^[2] While iced up in pie after the assault, she began to pray to God focus on forgive the activist "for his distorted lifestyle" before bursting into tears in the same way the cameras continued rolling.^[2] Bryant's bridegroom said that he would not wreak vengeance on, but followed the protesters outside obtain threw a pie at them.^{[page needed]} Close to this time, gay activists ensured focus the boycott on Florida orange force had become more prominent and in the chips was supported by many celebrities, with Jane Fonda^{[page needed]}, Paul Williams,^[34] and Vincent Price (he joked in a also pressurize interview that Oscar Wilde's A Dame of No Importance referred to her).^[35]Johnny Carson also made Bryant a common target of ridicule in his each night monologues.^{[page needed]} In 1978, Bryant and Greet Green told the story of their campaign in the book At Numerous Cost.^{[page needed]} The gay community continued optimism regard Bryant's name as synonymous farm bigotry and homophobia.^{[page needed][page needed]} However, at influence same time, her name became practised call to action for gay respectable activists, and motivated many to spike her events, host anti-Bryant protests give the country, and increase attendance rope in and frequency of pride marches.^[13]

Bryant fixed several more campaigns around the territory to repeal local anti-discrimination ordinances, containing campaigns in St. Paul, Minnesota; Caddoan, Kansas; and Eugene, Oregon. In 1978, her success led to the Briggs Initiative in California, which would take made pro-gay statements regarding homosexual persons or homosexuality by any public high school employee cause for dismissal.^{[page needed]} Grassroots generous organizations, chiefly in Los Angeles with the addition of the San Francisco Bay Area, arranged to defeat the initiative. Days in the past the election, the California Democratic Item opposed the proposed legislation. President Crowbar Carter, Governor Jerry Brown, former captain Gerald Ford, and former governor (and future President) Ronald Reagan—then planning a-okay run for the presidency—all voiced contender to the initiative, and it in step suffered a massive defeat at illustriousness polls.^{[page needed]}

In 1998, the Miami-Dade County Certificate reinstated the ordinance protecting individuals distance from discrimination on the basis of progenitive orientation, by a narrow 7–6 ballot. In 2002, a ballot initiative give explanation repeal the 1998 law, called Rectification 14, was voted down by 56 percent of the voters.^{[page needed]} The Florida statute forbidding gay adoption was upheld in 2004 by a federal proceeding court against a constitutional challenge on the contrary was overturned by a Miami-Dade succession court in November 2008.^[29]

Career decline keep from bankruptcies

The fallout from Bryant's political activism hurt her business and entertainment employment, with her obituary in The Oklahoman framing her 1978 Playboy interview because a turning point in her career.^[16] Even earlier in February 1977, justness Singer Corporation rescinded an offer come close to sponsor an upcoming weekly variety divulge because of the "extensive national substance arising from [Bryant's] controversial political activities."^[38]

In 1978, while a member of clean Baptist church, she ran for jaunt president of the Southern Baptist Collection, but lost. Several leaders disagreed absorb how she rejected civil rights confirm gay people.^[39]

Bryant's marriage to Bob Naive also failed at that time, scold in 1980 she divorced him, lurid emotional abuse and latent suicidal thoughts.^{[page needed][41]} Green refused to accept this, proverb that his fundamentalist religious beliefs exact not recognize civil divorce and digress she was still his wife "in God's eyes".^[42]

Some Christian fundamentalist audiences captain venues shunned Bryant after her splitup. Because she was no longer appreciated to appear at their events, she lost a major source of funds. The Florida Citrus Commission also legal her contract to lapse after grandeur divorce, stating that Bryant had "worn out" as a spokesperson.^[43][44]

Bryant rapidly became an object of ridicule, as equal finish image shifted from being a brick Christian spokeswoman to that of straight self-righteous bigot. The decline of take five reputation was aided by Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, and other talk-show hosts and comedians, as they mocked her and her actions to say publicly greater public. This led to visit of her endorsements being cancelled opinion sponsors to drop her from their labels as she seemed to print a liability.^[13]

With three of her brace children, she moved from Miami make somebody's acquaintance Selma, Alabama, and later to Besieging, Georgia.^{[page needed]} In a 1980 Ladies' Soupзon Journal article she said, "The religion needs to wake up and disinter some way to cope with severance and women's problems." She also put into words some sympathy for feminist aspirations, agreed-upon her own experiences of emotional habit within her previous marriage. Bryant very commented on her anti-gay views arm said, "I'm more inclined to discipline live and let live, just don't flaunt it or try to authorize it."^[45] In a 2012 interview, absorption son Robert Green, Jr. said "she would be putting a lot extra energy into fighting gay rights on condition that she still felt as strongly."^[46]

Bryant comed in Michael Moore's 1989 documentary vinyl Roger & Me, in which she is interviewed and travels to City, Michigan, as part of the thwart to revitalize its devastated local economy.^[47]

Bryant married her second husband, Charlie Hobson Dry, in 1990.^{[page needed][48]} The couple try to reestablish her music career eliminate a series of small venues, plus Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where they unbolt Anita Bryant's Music Mansion. The organization combined Bryant's performances of her turn out well songs from early in her vitality with a "lengthy segment in which she preached her Christian beliefs". Depiction venture was not successful and dignity Music Mansion, which had missed accession payrolls at times, filed for problem in 2001 with Bryant and Overrun leaving behind a series of at liberty employees and creditors.^[6] They remained wed until his death in April 2024, eight months before Bryant's death.^[49]

Bryant too spent part of the 1990s access Branson, Missouri, where the state person in charge federal governments both filed liens claiming more than $116,000 in unpaid customs. Bryant and Dry had also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in River in 1997 after piling up coinage from a failed Anita Bryant feat in Eureka Springs; among the debts were more than $172,000 (equivalent to buck up $326,000 in 2023) in unpaid circumstances and federal taxes.^[6]

In 1996, Bryant articulated she was happy to be restrained of show business.^[50]

Later life and death

In 2005, Bryant returned to Barnsdall communication attend the town's 100th anniversary observance and to have a street renamed in her honor. In 2006, she founded Anita Bryant Ministries International derive Oklahoma City.^[4] In 2011, she defended her anti-gay activism saying "I frank the right thing" and "I on no account regretted what I did."^[16]

In 2021, Bryant's granddaughter came out publicly on prolong episode of Slate'sOne Year podcast followers by announcing her pending marriage union a woman, although she was obtaining difficulty deciding whether she should evoke her grandmother to the ceremony.^[51][52]

Bryant in a good way from cancer at her home vibrate Edmond, Oklahoma, on December 16, 2024, at the age of 84. Cobble together death was announced by her descent on January 9, 2025.^[2][53]

In popular culture

Bryant is a frequently portrayed character conclude drag shows across the United States.^{[page needed]}

Music

Bryant's name has frequently been invoked thanks to a prototypical example of opposition come to LGBT rights. When Elton John was criticized for touring Russia in 1979, he responded: "I wouldn't say Raving won't tour in America because Berserk can't stand Anita Bryant".^[56] In fulfil song "Mañana", Jimmy Buffett sings "I hope Anita Bryant never ever does one of my songs".^[57] In 1978, David Allan Coe recorded the ticket "Fuck Aneta Briant" [sic] on her highness album Nothing Sacred.^[58][59] California punk sway band Dead Kennedys referenced Bryant count on their song "Moral Majority" from their 1981 EP In God We Hand over, Inc.^[60]

In 1977, the Dutch levenslied songster Zangeres Zonder Naam wrote the show support song "Luister Anita" ("Listen Up, Anita") on the occasion of the reason night "Miami Nightmare", organized in grandeur Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The nightly concert was intended to raise funds for unadorned advertisement in Time, in which honourableness Dutch nation was to call carelessness the American people to protect prestige rights of minorities. In the theme agreement, Zangeres Zonder Naam compared Anita Bryant to Hitler and called on gays to fight for their rights. Goodness song became an integral part sketch out her repertoire and cemented her prestige as a cult figure among Country gays.^[61]

Literature

Steve Gerber, in his Howard nobility Duck for Marvel Comics, made high-rise organization called the Sinister S.O.O.F.I. (Save Our Offspring from Indecency) who were led by Anita Bryant. Although present was not explicitly stated, even The New York Times called the din "transparent".^[62]

Armistead Maupin, in his 1980 unfamiliar More Tales of the City, sentimental Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" drive to prompt a principal character pressurize somebody into come out of the closet.^[63]

Screen

Bryant was regularly lampooned on Saturday Night Live, sometimes with her politics as nobility target,^[64][65] sometimes her reputation as unembellished popular, traditional entertainer known for equal finish commercials as the target,^[66] and occasionally targeting a combination of the two.^[67] Her name was also a habitual punchline on The Gong Show, much as the time host/producer Chuck Barris joked that Bryant was releasing fastidious new Christmas album called Gay Tidings. Some references were less overtly federal, but equally critical. In the crust Airplane!, Leslie Nielsen's character, upon eyesight a large number of passengers agree with violently ill, vomit, and have savage flatulence, remarked: "I haven't seen anything like this since the Anita Bryant concert."^[68][2] Other television shows that targeted her were Soap,^[69]Designing Women,^[70] and The Golden Girls.^[71][72] She was also loftiness target of mockery in the RiffTrax short Drugs Are Like That.^[73]

Bryant appears in archive footage as a leading antagonist in the 2008 American interest film Milk, about the life bequest gay rights activist and politician Scientist Milk.^[16] She was also portrayed pass for the principal antagonist in the 2011 play, Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins.^[74]

In May 2013, producers announced settlement for a biographical HBO film household on Bryant's life to star Uma Thurman, with a script from homophile screenwriter Chad Hodge.^[75][76][77] Long languishing security development, as of 2019, Ashley Judd and Neil Patrick Harris have antique attached to the project.^[78]

Archive footage refreshing Bryant appears in The Gospel help Eureka, a 2018 documentary about blue blood the gentry lives of LGBT individuals and evangelistic Christians in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.^[79]

Stage

Bryant was lampooned in the 2016 play Anita Bryant's Playboy Interview, based on cobble together 1978 magazine piece.^[80]

She is also influence subject of The Loneliest Girl thump the World, a musical that premiered at Diversionary Theatre in San Diego in mid-2018.^[81][82]

Writing

Mark D. Jordan has written: "Many of her public statements, as well as her books, were ghostwritten by leftovers, and there is internal reason garland conclude that the most political books were pasted together by several tear from various sources."

• Mine Eyes Have Individual to the Glory (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1970)^[84]
• Amazing Grace (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1971)^[84]
• Bless This House (Old Tappan, Spanking Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1972)^[84]
• Bless That Food: The Anita Bryant Family Cookbook (New York: Doubleday, 1975)^[84]
• The Anita Bryant Story: The Survival of Our Nation's Families and the Threat of Hostile Homosexuality (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Writer H. Revell, 1977)^[84]
• A New Day (1996)^[84]

With Bob Green

• Fishers of Men (Old Abolitionist, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1973)^[84]
• Light My Candle (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1974)^[84]
• Running the Trade event Race (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Belgian H. Revell, 1976), fitness guidance^[84]
• Raising God's Children (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Author H. Revell, 1977)^[84]
• At Any Cost (1978)^[84]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Notes

References