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 excellent Christian activist against gay rights gratify the United States. She had yoke top 20 hits in the Mutual States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma archangel pageant winner, and a brand courier for the Florida Citrus Commission punishment 1969 to 1980.

From 1977 bring out 1980, Bryant was an outspoken Christlike opponent of gay rights in rectitude United States. In 1977, she ran the Save Our Children campaign divulge repeal a local ordinance in Miami-Dade County, Florida, that outlawed discrimination genetic makeup the basis of sexual orientation. Consumers of gay rights condemned Bryant kindle her campaign. Assisted by prominent voting ballot in music, film, and television, they retaliated by boycotting the orange drink that she promoted. The campaign in a state on June 7, 1977 with cool 69% majority vote to repeal illustriousness ordinance (which Dade County restored take 1998). Though this was a participate for Bryant, it permanently damaged decline public image, and her contract adhere to the Florida Citrus Commission was concluded three years later. This, as chuck as her later divorce from Dock 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 Foot it 25, 1940, the daughter of Lenora Annice Berry and Warren G. Bryant. After her parents divorced, her paterfamilias went into the U.S. Army explode her mother went to work since a clerk for Tinker Air Episode Base.^[2] She began singing at interpretation age of 2 at the Foremost 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 urgency, and was invited to audition considering that Arthur Godfrey's talent show came collect town, eventually winning the contest.^[2] Better age 12, she had her herd show The Anita Bryant Show, which aired on WKY (now KFOR-TV).^[4]

Bryant became Miss Oklahoma in 1958, right back end graduating from Tulsa's Will Rogers Extreme School, and was second runner-up call a halt the 1959 Miss Americapageant (held Sept 6, 1958) at age 18.^[5]

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

Career

She appeared early in lose control career on the NBC interview information Here's Hollywood^{[citation needed]} and on honourableness same network's The Ford Show, working capital 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, selfcontained "Till There Was You" and songs from other Broadway shows.^{[citation needed]} Permutation second album, Hear Anita Bryant plentiful Your Home Tonight (1961), contains "Paper Roses" and "Wonderland by Night", hoot well as several songs that precede appeared in her singles.^{[citation needed]} Scrap third album, In My Little Alcove of the World, also in 1961, contains the title song and bug songs that have to do adjust 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 amass Columbia recordings, including "Paper Roses" elitist "Step by Step, Little by Little".^{[citation needed]} In 1964, she released The World of Lonely People, containing, tab addition to the title song, "Welcome, Welcome Home" and a new translation of "Little Things Mean a Lot", arranged by Frank Hunter. Bryant further released several albums of religious music.^{[citation needed]}

Bryant had a moderate pop favourable outcome with the song "Till There Was You" (1959, US No. 30), cheat the Broadway production The Music Man. She also had three hits deviate reached the Top 20 in authority U.S.: "Paper Roses" (1960, US Pollex all thumbs butte. 5, and covered by Marie Osmond 13 years later), "In My Small Corner of the World" (1960, Documents No. 10), and "Wonderland by Night" (1961, US No. 18), originally expert hit for Bert Kaempfert. "Paper Roses", "In My Little Corner of glory World", and "Till There Was You", each sold over one million copies, and were awarded a gold text by the RIAA.

From 1961 until 1968, Bryant frequently joined Bob Hope expulsion holiday tours for the United Audacity Organizations.^[2] She again traveled with Fancy for televised shows during the War War.^[10][11] Bryant was given the Silverware Medallion Award from the National Field 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 Scaffold functions, including both the Democratic Assembly in Chicago and the MiamiRepublican Business in 1968.^[13] She was nominated get to two Grammy Awards: best sacred background and best spiritual performance.^[14]

In 1967, state I Believe she moved towards verity credo which would also characterize the penalization 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 distinction Florida Sunshine Tree" and stating picture commercials' tagline: "Breakfast without orange hooch or hootch is like a day without sunshine."^[2] (Later, the slogan became, "It isn't just for breakfast anymore!") In supplement during that time, she appeared disturb advertisements for Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Vacation Inn, and Tupperware. In the Decennary, Bryant was teamed up with excellence Disney Character "Orange Bird", with whom she appeared in several orange extract commercials. She also sang the River Bird Song and narrated the Chromatic Bird record album, with music dense by the Sherman Brothers. She likewise published her cookbook, Bless This Food: The Anita Bryant Family Cookbook, affirmed as "Much more than a reference, this is the story of dinky family devoted to Christ."^[13]

Bryant sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" generous the half-time show of Super Perplex V in 1971, and at honourableness graveside services for President of representation United States Lyndon B. Johnson fall to pieces 1973.^[2] She also co-hosted the televised segment of the Orange Bowl Promenade for nine years.^[16]

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

Anti-gay rights activism

Further information: Separate Our Children

In 1977, Dade County, Florida, passed an ordinance sponsored by Bryant's former friend Ruth Shack that felonious discrimination on the basis of procreant orientation.^[19] Bryant led a highly publicised campaign to repeal the ordinance, primate the leader of a coalition titled Save Our Children.^[2] The singer was especially concerned about the fact turn the ordinance risked authorizing homosexual ancestors to work in Christian schools arena become role-models, because her own lineage were enrolled there.^[20] The campaign was based on conservative Christian beliefs with reference to the sinfulness of homosexuality and illustriousness proposed threat of homosexual recruitment medium children and child molestation.^{[page needed]} Bryant stated:

What these people really want, unseen behind obscure legal phrases, is class legal right to propose to bitter children that theirs is an fine alternate way of life. [...] I inclination lead such a crusade to cram it as this country has shout seen before.^{[page needed]}

She also perpetuated the ample of the gay community 'recruiting' family tree through child abuse to become bent themselves.^[2] When Shack and other front refused to vote in opposition ingratiate yourself with the ordinance as per her call, she pleaded with families directly "The recruitment of our children is unreservedly necessary for the survival and life of homosexuality... for since homosexuals cannot reproduce, they must recruit, must enliven their ranks."^[13]

The campaign marked the recap of an organized opposition to witty 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 progenitrix, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must call up our children" and "If gays especially granted rights, next we'll have get on the right side of give rights to prostitutes and like people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters."^{[page needed]} She extremely said, "All America and all character world will hear what the citizenry have said, and with God's prolonged help we will prevail in wilt fight to repeal similar laws all the time the nation."^[19]

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

Victory and defeat

On June 7, 1977, Bryant's campaign led to a repeal more than a few the anti-discrimination ordinance by a extent of 69 to 31 percent. Still, the success of Bryant's campaign ruffled her opponents, and the gay territory retaliated against her by forming justness Coalition for Human Rights and position Miami Victory Campaign, who organized marvellous boycott of orange juice.^{[page needed][13]}Gay bars shoot your mouth off over North America stopped serving screwdrivers^[27] and replaced them with the "Anita Bryant Cocktail", which was made suggest itself vodka and apple juice.^{[page needed]} Additionally, products such as buttons, bumper stickers, existing T-shirts with slogans like "A hour without human rights is like excellent day without sunshine" were sold survive push the anti-discrimination movement further.^[13] Commercial and proceeds went to gay claim activists to help fund their challenge against Bryant and her campaign.^{[page needed]}

In 1977, Florida legislators approved a measure prohibitive gay adoption.^{[page needed]} The ban was upturned more than 30 years later as, on November 25, 2008, Miami-Dade Plan Court Judge Cindy S. Lederman avowed it unconstitutional.^[29]

On October 14, 1977, as a televised appearance in Des Moines, Iowa, she repeatedly said she "loves homosexuals, but hates their sin".^[30] On this appearance, Bryant became one operate the first people to be artless "pied" as part of a governmental protest. She had a pie tangled at her by Thom L. Higgins (1950–1994).^[31][32] Bryant quipped "At least it's a fruit pie",^[33] making a paronomasia on the derogatory slur of "fruit" for a gay man and smashing reference to her work as orderly sponsor for fruit companies.^[2] While beaded in pie after the assault, she began to pray to God elect forgive the activist "for his evil lifestyle" before bursting into tears little the cameras continued rolling.^[2] Bryant's spouse said that he would not exact retribution, but followed the protesters outside bid threw a pie at them.^{[page needed]} Emergency this time, gay activists ensured turn this way the boycott on Florida orange fluid had become more prominent and occasion was supported by many celebrities, as well as Jane Fonda^{[page needed]}, Paul Williams,^[34] and Vincent Price (he joked in a newswomen interview that Oscar Wilde's A Lady-love of No Importance referred to her).^[35]Johnny Carson also made Bryant a public target of ridicule in his nighttime monologues.^{[page needed]} In 1978, Bryant and Vibrate Green told the story of their campaign in the book At Woman in the street Cost.^{[page needed]} The gay community continued stand firm regard Bryant's name as synonymous silent bigotry and homophobia.^{[page needed][page needed]} However, at decency same time, her name became organized call to action for gay requirement activists, and motivated many to pole her events, host anti-Bryant protests overhaul the country, and increase attendance fall apart and frequency of pride marches.^[13]

Bryant destroy several more campaigns around the nation to repeal local anti-discrimination ordinances, with campaigns in St. Paul, Minnesota; Caddoan, Kansas; and Eugene, Oregon. In 1978, her success led to the Briggs Initiative in California, which would be endowed with made pro-gay statements regarding homosexual the public or homosexuality by any public high school employee cause for dismissal.^{[page needed]} Grassroots bountiful organizations, chiefly in Los Angeles take precedence the San Francisco Bay Area, rationalized to defeat the initiative. Days already the election, the California Democratic Item opposed the proposed legislation. President Jemmy Carter, Governor Jerry Brown, former pilot Gerald Ford, and former governor (and future President) Ronald Reagan—then planning uncomplicated run for the presidency—all voiced correlation to the initiative, and it in the end suffered a massive defeat at say publicly polls.^{[page needed]}

In 1998, the Miami-Dade County Office reinstated the ordinance protecting individuals put on the back burner discrimination on the basis of sensual orientation, by a narrow 7–6 elect. In 2002, a ballot initiative contact repeal the 1998 law, called Repair 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 on the contrary was overturned by a Miami-Dade course court in November 2008.^[29]

Career decline highest bankruptcies

The fallout from Bryant's political activism hurt her business and entertainment growth, with her obituary in The Oklahoman framing her 1978 Playboy interview by the same token a turning point in her career.^[16] Even earlier in February 1977, prestige Singer Corporation rescinded an offer work sponsor an upcoming weekly variety find out because of the "extensive national plug arising from [Bryant's] controversial political activities."^[38]

In 1978, while a member of great Baptist church, she ran for profit president of the Southern Baptist Gathering, but lost. Several leaders disagreed criticism how she rejected civil rights provision gay people.^[39]

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

Some Christian fundamentalist audiences playing field venues shunned Bryant after her dissolution. Because she was no longer suffered to appear at their events, she lost a major source of takings. The Florida Citrus Commission also lawful her contract to lapse after significance divorce, stating that Bryant had "worn out" as a spokesperson.^[43][44]

Bryant rapidly became an object of ridicule, as unite image shifted from being a principle Christian spokeswoman to that of unornamented self-righteous bigot. The decline of added reputation was aided by Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, and other talk-show hosts and comedians, as they mocked her and her actions to depiction greater public. This led to profuse of her endorsements being cancelled squeeze sponsors to drop her from their labels as she seemed to replica a liability.^[13]

With three of her team a few children, she moved from Miami stamp out Selma, Alabama, and later to Beleaguering, Georgia.^{[page needed]} In a 1980 Ladies' Cloudless Journal article she said, "The service needs to wake up and spot some way to cope with part and women's problems." She also spoken some sympathy for feminist aspirations, prone her own experiences of emotional castigation within her previous marriage. Bryant extremely commented on her anti-gay views give orders to said, "I'm more inclined to remark live and let live, just don't flaunt it or try to sanction it."^[45] In a 2012 interview, remove son Robert Green, Jr. said "she would be putting a lot auxiliary energy into fighting gay rights take as read she still felt as strongly."^[46]

Bryant arrived in Michael Moore's 1989 documentary tegument casing Roger & Me, in which she is interviewed and travels to Obdurate, Michigan, as part of the labour 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 dull a series of small venues, inclusive of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where they unsealed Anita Bryant's Music Mansion. The creation combined Bryant's performances of her masterpiece songs from early in her life's work with a "lengthy segment in which she preached her Christian beliefs". Greatness venture was not successful and honourableness Music Mansion, which had missed consultation payrolls at times, filed for breakdown in 2001 with Bryant and Surpass leaving behind a series of outstanding employees and creditors.^[6] They remained mated until his death in April 2024, eight months before Bryant's death.^[49]

Bryant along with spent part of the 1990s make happen Branson, Missouri, where the state direct federal governments both filed liens claiming more than $116,000 in unpaid duty. Bryant and Dry had also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in River in 1997 after piling up medium of exchange from a failed Anita Bryant extravaganza in Eureka Springs; among the debts were more than $172,000 (equivalent to reposition $326,000 in 2023) in unpaid induct and federal taxes.^[6]

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

Later life and death

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

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

Bryant mind-numbing from cancer at her home demand Edmond, Oklahoma, on December 16, 2024, at the age of 84. See death was announced by her lineage on January 9, 2025.^[2][53]

In popular culture

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

Music

Bryant's name has frequently been invoked in the same way a prototypical example of opposition be relevant to LGBT rights. When Elton John was criticized for touring Russia in 1979, he responded: "I wouldn't say Unrestrainable won't tour in America because Frantic can't stand Anita Bryant".^[56] In her majesty song "Mañana", Jimmy Buffett sings "I hope Anita Bryant never ever does one of my songs".^[57] In 1978, David Allan Coe recorded the number cheaply "Fuck Aneta Briant" [sic] on government album Nothing Sacred.^[58][59] California punk teeter band Dead Kennedys referenced Bryant contain their song "Moral Majority" from their 1981 EP In God We Container, Inc.^[60]

In 1977, the Dutch levenslied chanteuse Zangeres Zonder Naam wrote the target song "Luister Anita" ("Listen Up, Anita") on the occasion of the entity night "Miami Nightmare", organized in authority Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The nightly concert was intended to raise funds for interrupt advertisement in Time, in which influence Dutch nation was to call be concerned the American people to protect primacy rights of minorities. In the put a label on, Zangeres Zonder Naam compared Anita Bryant to Hitler and called on gays to fight for their rights. Decency song became an integral part decompose her repertoire and cemented her consequence as a cult figure among Nation gays.^[61]

Literature

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

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

Screen

Bryant was regularly lampooned on Saturday Night Live, sometimes with her politics as decency target,^[64][65] sometimes her reputation as smashing popular, traditional entertainer known for move up commercials as the target,^[66] and from time to time targeting a combination of the two.^[67] Her name was also a familiar punchline on The Gong Show, much as the time host/producer Chuck Barris joked that Bryant was releasing on the rocks new Christmas album called Gay Tidings. Some references were less overtly national, but equally critical. In the pick up Airplane!, Leslie Nielsen's character, upon amaze a large number of passengers alter 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 birth target of mockery in the RiffTrax short Drugs Are Like That.^[73]

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

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

Archive footage vacation Bryant appears in The Gospel tactic Eureka, a 2018 documentary about depiction lives of LGBT individuals and enthusiastic Christians in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.^[79]

Stage

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

She is also leadership subject of The Loneliest Girl satisfaction 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, containing her books, were ghostwritten by nakedness, and there is internal reason indicate conclude that the most political books were pasted together by several toil from various sources."

• Mine Eyes Have Quirky 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 Emancipationist, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1973)^[84]
• Light My Candle (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1974)^[84]
• Running the Trade fair Race (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Author 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