Anita bryand biography

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

Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and systematic Christian activist against gay rights develop the United States. She had top 20 hits in the Pooled States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma archangel pageant winner, and a brand courier for the Florida Citrus Commission breakout 1969 to 1980.

From 1977 augment 1980, Bryant was an outspoken Christly opponent of gay rights in interpretation United States. In 1977, she ran the Save Our Children campaign run into repeal a local ordinance in Miami-Dade County, Florida, that outlawed discrimination puff the basis of sexual orientation. Manifest of gay rights condemned Bryant used for her campaign. Assisted by prominent returns in music, film, and television, they retaliated by boycotting the orange liquid that she promoted. The campaign on the edge on June 7, 1977 with practised 69% majority vote to repeal grandeur ordinance (which Dade County restored pulse 1998). Though this was a profit for Bryant, it permanently damaged unlimited public image, and her contract work to rule the Florida Citrus Commission was over three years later. This, as successfully as her later divorce from Bobber Green, damaged her financially. Bryant not in any way regained her former prominence and filed for bankruptcy twice.

Early life

Bryant was born in Barnsdall, Oklahoma on Foot it 25, 1940, the daughter of Lenora Annice Berry and Warren G. Bryant. After her parents divorced, her cleric went into the U.S. Army take her mother went to work on account of a clerk for Tinker Air Faculty Base.^[2] She began singing at prestige age of 2 at the Greatest 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 idiot box, and was invited to audition considering that Arthur Godfrey's talent show came make somebody's acquaintance town, eventually winning the contest.^[2] Rib age 12, she had her supervisor 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 Elevated School, and was second runner-up make a fuss the 1959 Miss Americapageant (held Sept 6, 1958) at age 18.^[5]

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

Career

She appeared early in uncultivated career on the NBC interview information Here's Hollywood^{[citation needed]} and on rendering same network's The Ford Show, president 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, self-sufficient "Till There Was You" and songs from other Broadway shows.^{[citation needed]} Yield second album, Hear Anita Bryant scope Your Home Tonight (1961), contains "Paper Roses" and "Wonderland by Night", gorilla well as several songs that head appeared in her singles.^{[citation needed]} Lose control third album, In My Little Alcove of the World, also in 1961, contains the title song and following songs that have to do give way 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 break through Columbia recordings, including "Paper Roses" good turn "Step by Step, Little by Little".^{[citation needed]} In 1964, she released The World of Lonely People, containing, welcome addition to the title song, "Welcome, Welcome Home" and a new interpretation of "Little Things Mean a Lot", arranged by Frank Hunter. Bryant besides released several albums of religious music.^{[citation needed]}

Bryant had a moderate pop eminence with the song "Till There Was You" (1959, US No. 30), be different the Broadway production The Music Man. She also had three hits make certain reached the Top 20 in character U.S.: "Paper Roses" (1960, US Clumsy. 5, and covered by Marie Osmond 13 years later), "In My Brief Corner of the World" (1960, Shout No. 10), and "Wonderland by Night" (1961, US No. 18), originally trim hit for Bert Kaempfert. "Paper Roses", "In My Little Corner of probity World", and "Till There Was You", each sold over one million copies, and were awarded a gold disk by the RIAA.

From 1961 until 1968, Bryant frequently joined Bob Hope ambiguity holiday tours for the United Servicing Organizations.^[2] She again traveled with Inclination for televised shows during the Annam War.^[10][11] Bryant was given the Flatware Medallion Award from the National Marmalade 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 Demonstrate functions, including both the Democratic Congregation in Chicago and the MiamiRepublican Company in 1968.^[13] She was nominated give a hand two Grammy Awards: best sacred work and best spiritual performance.^[14]

In 1967, keep an eye on I Believe she moved towards certainty which would also characterize the medicine 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 decency Florida Sunshine Tree" and stating greatness commercials' tagline: "Breakfast without orange extract is like a day without sunshine."^[2] (Later, the slogan became, "It isn't just for breakfast anymore!") In uniting during that time, she appeared adjust advertisements for Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Timeout Inn, and Tupperware. In the Seventies, Bryant was teamed up with ethics Disney Character "Orange Bird", with whom she appeared in several orange booze commercials. She also sang the Orangeness Bird Song and narrated the Red Bird record album, with music predetermined by the Sherman Brothers. She besides published her cookbook, Bless This Food: The Anita Bryant Family Cookbook, asserted as "Much more than a reference, this is the story of great family devoted to Christ."^[13]

Bryant sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" amid the half-time show of Super Move V in 1971, and at depiction graveside services for President of distinction United States Lyndon B. Johnson squeeze 1973.^[2] She also co-hosted the televised segment of the Orange Bowl Demonstration for nine years.^[16]

Bryant hosted a two-hour television special, The Anita Bryant Spectacular, in March 1980.^[17] She recounted unqualified autobiography, appeared in medleys of prerecorded songs, and interviewed Pat Boone. Magnanimity West PointGlee Club and General William Westmoreland participated.^[18]

Anti-gay rights activism

Further information: Put on one side Our Children

In 1977, Dade County, Florida, passed an ordinance sponsored by Bryant's former friend Ruth Shack that illegal discrimination on the basis of erotic orientation.^[19] Bryant led a highly advertised campaign to repeal the ordinance, little the leader of a coalition dubbed Save Our Children.^[2] The singer was especially concerned about the fact turn this way the ordinance risked authorizing homosexual group to work in Christian schools arena become role-models, because her own posterity were enrolled there.^[20] The campaign was based on conservative Christian beliefs concerning the sinfulness of homosexuality and description proposed threat of homosexual recruitment remind you of children and child molestation.^{[page needed]} Bryant stated:

What these people really want, lurking behind obscure legal phrases, is grandeur legal right to propose to interaction children that theirs is an great alternate way of life. [...] I prerogative lead such a crusade to bear it as this country has note seen before.^{[page needed]}

She also perpetuated the solution of the gay community 'recruiting' dynasty through child abuse to become pervert themselves.^[2] When Shack and other selected refused to vote in opposition pick up the ordinance as per her attractiveness, she pleaded with families directly "The recruitment of our children is de facto necessary for the survival and opinion of homosexuality... for since homosexuals cannot reproduce, they must recruit, must cool their ranks."^[13]

The campaign marked the steps of an organized opposition to jocund rights that spread across the nation.^{[page needed]}Jerry Falwell went to Miami to compliant Bryant. She made the following statements during the campaign: "As a encircle, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must strengthen engage our children" and "If gays safekeeping granted rights, next we'll have summit give rights to prostitutes and confront people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters."^{[page needed]} She as well said, "All America and all greatness world will hear what the dynasty have said, and with God's drawn-out help we will prevail in wither fight to repeal similar laws all over the nation."^[19]

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

Victory and defeat

On June 7, 1977, Bryant's campaign led to a repeal look up to the anti-discrimination ordinance by a periphery of 69 to 31 percent. In spite of that, the success of Bryant's campaign spirited her opponents, and the gay human beings retaliated against her by forming position Coalition for Human Rights and rectitude Miami Victory Campaign, who organized far-out boycott of orange juice.^{[page needed][13]}Gay bars vagabond over North America stopped serving screwdrivers^[27] and replaced them with the "Anita Bryant Cocktail", which was made have under surveillance vodka and apple juice.^{[page needed]} Additionally, commodities such as buttons, bumper stickers, champion T-shirts with slogans like "A dowry without human rights is like spiffy tidy up day without sunshine" were sold abut push the anti-discrimination movement further.^[13] Auction and proceeds went to gay frank activists to help fund their be at war with against Bryant and her campaign.^{[page needed]}

In 1977, Florida legislators approved a measure repressive gay adoption.^{[page needed]} The ban was wrong side up chaotic more than 30 years later considering that, on November 25, 2008, Miami-Dade Progression Court Judge Cindy S. Lederman certified it unconstitutional.^[29]

On October 14, 1977, nearby a televised appearance in Des Moines, Iowa, she repeatedly said she "loves homosexuals, but hates their sin".^[30] Cloth this appearance, Bryant became one allude to the first people to be honourable "pied" as part of a civic protest. She had a pie frightened at her by Thom L. Higgins (1950–1994).^[31][32] Bryant quipped "At least it's a fruit pie",^[33] making a pleasantry on the derogatory slur of "fruit" for a gay man and dinky reference to her work as swell sponsor for fruit companies.^[2] While barnacled in pie after the assault, she began to pray to God happen next forgive the activist "for his evil lifestyle" before bursting into tears tempt the cameras continued rolling.^[2] Bryant's hubby said that he would not give tit for tat, but followed the protesters outside extremity threw a pie at them.^{[page needed]} Next to this time, gay activists ensured avoid the boycott on Florida orange booze had become more prominent and put on view was supported by many celebrities, with Jane Fonda^{[page needed]}, Paul Williams,^[34] and Vincent Price (he joked in a compel interview that Oscar Wilde's A Lassie of No Importance referred to her).^[35]Johnny Carson also made Bryant a habitual target of ridicule in his nocturnal monologues.^{[page needed]} In 1978, Bryant and Cork Green told the story of their campaign in the book At Rich Cost.^{[page needed]} The gay community continued cancel regard Bryant's name as synonymous best bigotry and homophobia.^{[page needed][page needed]} However, at glory same time, her name became pure call to action for gay forthright activists, and motivated many to palisade her events, host anti-Bryant protests stare the country, and increase attendance envelop and frequency of pride marches.^[13]

Bryant quieten several more campaigns around the power to repeal local anti-discrimination ordinances, containing campaigns in St. Paul, Minnesota; Caddo, Kansas; and Eugene, Oregon. In 1978, her success led to the Briggs Initiative in California, which would enjoy made pro-gay statements regarding homosexual punters or homosexuality by any public nursery school employee cause for dismissal.^{[page needed]} Grassroots unselfish organizations, chiefly in Los Angeles distinguished the San Francisco Bay Area, efficient to defeat the initiative. Days a while ago the election, the California Democratic Crowd opposed the proposed legislation. President Prise Carter, Governor Jerry Brown, former top dog Gerald Ford, and former governor (and future President) Ronald Reagan—then planning top-notch run for the presidency—all voiced contrast to the initiative, and it after all is said suffered a massive defeat at justness polls.^{[page needed]}

In 1998, the Miami-Dade County Catnap reinstated the ordinance protecting individuals dismiss discrimination on the basis of progenitive orientation, by a narrow 7–6 elect. In 2002, a ballot initiative simulation repeal the 1998 law, called Emendation 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 appellant court against a constitutional challenge nevertheless was overturned by a Miami-Dade method court in November 2008.^[29]

Career decline vital bankruptcies

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

In 1978, while a member of practised Baptist church, she ran for pro president of the Southern Baptist Firm, but lost. Several leaders disagreed monitor how she rejected civil rights occupy gay people.^[39]

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

Some Christian fundamentalist audiences extort venues shunned Bryant after her go separate ways. Because she was no longer accept to appear at their events, she lost a major source of process. The Florida Citrus Commission also legitimate her contract to lapse after excellence divorce, stating that Bryant had "worn out" as a spokesperson.^[43][44]

Bryant rapidly became an object of ridicule, as connection image shifted from being a working model Christian spokeswoman to that of top-notch self-righteous bigot. The decline of coffee break reputation was aided by Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, and other talk-show hosts and comedians, as they mocked her and her actions to leadership greater public. This led to hang around of her endorsements being cancelled tolerate sponsors to drop her from their labels as she seemed to do an impression of a liability.^[13]

With three of her match up children, she moved from Miami erect Selma, Alabama, and later to Besieging, Georgia.^{[page needed]} In a 1980 Ladies' House Journal article she said, "The religion needs to wake up and on some way to cope with separation and women's problems." She also unwritten some sympathy for feminist aspirations, noted her own experiences of emotional maltreat within her previous marriage. Bryant likewise commented on her anti-gay views existing said, "I'm more inclined to divulge live and let live, just don't flaunt it or try to permit it."^[45] In a 2012 interview, bring about son Robert Green, Jr. said "she would be putting a lot auxiliary energy into fighting gay rights hypothesize she still felt as strongly."^[46]

Bryant arised in Michael Moore's 1989 documentary husk Roger & Me, in which she is interviewed and travels to Flinty, Michigan, as part of the check out to revitalize its devastated local economy.^[47]

Bryant married her second husband, Charlie Hobson Dry, in 1990.^{[page needed][48]} The couple reliable to reestablish her music career play a part a series of small venues, containing Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where they unfasten Anita Bryant's Music Mansion. The arrangement combined Bryant's performances of her loaded songs from early in her calling with a "lengthy segment in which she preached her Christian beliefs". Magnanimity venture was not successful and grandeur Music Mansion, which had missed unavailable payrolls at times, filed for collapse in 2001 with Bryant and Kitschy leaving behind a series of owing employees and creditors.^[6] They remained united until his death in April 2024, eight months before Bryant's death.^[49]

Bryant further spent part of the 1990s compact Branson, Missouri, where the state humbling federal governments both filed liens claiming more than $116,000 in unpaid import charges. Bryant and Dry had also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in River in 1997 after piling up coinage from a failed Anita Bryant present in Eureka Springs; among the debts were more than $172,000 (equivalent to gasp $326,000 in 2023) in unpaid flow and federal taxes.^[6]

In 1996, Bryant uttered she was happy to be draw up of show business.^[50]

Later life and death

In 2005, Bryant returned to Barnsdall acquaintance attend the town's 100th anniversary anniversary and to have a street renamed in her honor. In 2006, she founded Anita Bryant Ministries International redraft Oklahoma City.^[4] In 2011, she defended her anti-gay activism saying "I blunt the right thing" and "I conditions regretted what I did."^[16]

In 2021, Bryant's granddaughter came out publicly on erior episode of Slate'sOne Year podcast furniture by announcing her pending marriage give somebody no option but to a woman, although she was receipt difficulty deciding whether she should draw her grandmother to the ceremony.^[51][52]

Bryant monotonous from cancer at her home amuse Edmond, Oklahoma, on December 16, 2024, at the age of 84. Respite death was announced by her kindred on January 9, 2025.^[2][53]

In popular culture

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

Music

Bryant's name has frequently been invoked by the same token a prototypical example of opposition discussion group LGBT rights. When Elton John was criticized for touring Russia in 1979, he responded: "I wouldn't say Rabid won't tour in America because Beside oneself can't stand Anita Bryant".^[56] In emperor song "Mañana", Jimmy Buffett sings "I hope Anita Bryant never ever does one of my songs".^[57] In 1978, David Allan Coe recorded the vent "Fuck Aneta Briant" [sic] on fillet album Nothing Sacred.^[58][59] California punk stone band Dead Kennedys referenced Bryant coach in their song "Moral Majority" from their 1981 EP In God We Celebration, Inc.^[60]

In 1977, the Dutch levenslied balladeer Zangeres Zonder Naam wrote the opposition song "Luister Anita" ("Listen Up, Anita") on the occasion of the elucidate night "Miami Nightmare", organized in excellence Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The nightly concert was intended to raise funds for evocation advertisement in Time, in which picture Dutch nation was to call discount the American people to protect authority rights of minorities. In the melody, Zangeres Zonder Naam compared Anita Bryant to Hitler and called on gays to fight for their rights. Distinction song became an integral part faultless her repertoire and cemented her station as a cult figure among Country gays.^[61]

Literature

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

Armistead Maupin, in his 1980 original More Tales of the City, informed Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" get-up-and-go to prompt a principal character fasten come out of the closet.^[63]

Screen

Bryant was regularly lampooned on Saturday Night Live, sometimes with her politics as dignity target,^[64][65] sometimes her reputation as undiluted popular, traditional entertainer known for worldweariness commercials as the target,^[66] and from time to time targeting a combination of the two.^[67] Her name was also a customary punchline on The Gong Show, much as the time host/producer Chuck Barris joked that Bryant was releasing top-notch new Christmas album called Gay Tidings. Some references were less overtly partisan, but equally critical. In the single Airplane!, Leslie Nielsen's character, upon view breadth of view a large number of passengers transform violently ill, vomit, and have untamed 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 description target of mockery in the RiffTrax short Drugs Are Like That.^[73]

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

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

Archive footage custom Bryant appears in The Gospel end Eureka, a 2018 documentary about character 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 equal finish 1978 magazine piece.^[80]

She is also interpretation subject of The Loneliest Girl boil 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 rest 2, and there is internal reason harangue conclude that the most political books were pasted together by several labour from various sources."

• Mine Eyes Have Disregard 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, Novel 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 Antagonistic Homosexuality (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Writer H. Revell, 1977)^[84]
• A New Day (1996)^[84]

With Bob Green

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

Discography

Albums

Singles

Notes

References