Anita Bryant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anita Bryant
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From Billboard, January 1971
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| Born |
Anita Jane Bryant
March 25, 1940 Barnsdall, Oklahoma, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1956–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Bob Green
(m. 1960; div. 1980)Charlie Hobson Dry
(m. 1990) |
| Children | 4 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels |
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Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer and activist. She became famous in the 1960s with several popular songs. She was also known for her strong views against gay rights in the 1970s.
In the early 1960s, Anita Bryant had three songs that reached the Top 20 in the United States. She was crowned Miss Oklahoma in 1958. From 1969 to 1980, she was the face of the Florida Citrus Commission, appearing in many commercials.
In the 1970s, Bryant became a well-known opponent of gay rights in the U.S. In 1977, she led a group called "Save Our Children". This group wanted to cancel a local law in Miami-Dade County, Florida that protected gay people from discrimination. Many gay rights activists and celebrities spoke out against her campaign. They organized a boycott of the orange juice she promoted.
Even though her campaign successfully removed the law on June 7, 1977, it greatly harmed her public image. Her contract with the Florida Citrus Commission ended three years later. This, along with her later divorce, caused her financial problems. Bryant never became as famous as she once was and had to file for bankruptcy twice. Today, she lives in Oklahoma and works with charities through her organization, Anita Bryant Ministries International.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Anita Bryant was born in Barnsdall, Oklahoma. Her parents were Lenora A. (Berry) and Warren Bryant. After her parents divorced, she lived with her grandparents for a while. Her grandfather taught her to sing "Jesus Loves Me" when she was two years old. By age six, she was singing on stage at local fairs in Oklahoma. She also sang on radio and television.
In 1958, Bryant became Miss Oklahoma. She was also the second runner-up in the 1959 Miss America pageant. She was 18 years old and had just graduated from Tulsa's Will Rogers High School.
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In 1960, Bryant married Bob Green, a disc jockey from Miami. They had four children together. She divorced him in 1980. Early in her career, she appeared on TV shows like Here's Hollywood and The Ford Show.
Between 1964 and 1969, Bryant performed at many events at the White House. She also sang at both the Democratic and Republican political conventions in 1968.
From 1961 to 1968, Bryant often joined Bob Hope on holiday tours for the United Service Organizations (USO). She also traveled with Hope for TV shows during the Vietnam War. She received awards for her service as an entertainer.
Bryant had a popular song called "Till There Was You" in 1959. She also had three big hits that reached the Top 20 in the U.S.: "Paper Roses" (1960), "In My Little Corner of the World" (1960), and "Wonderland by Night" (1961). These songs sold over one million copies each and earned her gold records.
In 1969, Bryant became the spokesperson for the Florida Citrus Commission. She sang in national TV commercials, saying, "Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine." She also appeared in ads for Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Holiday Inn, and Tupperware. In the 1970s, she worked with the Disney character "Orange Bird" for orange juice commercials. She also published a cookbook called Bless This Food: The Anita Bryant Family Cookbook.
Bryant sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" during the half-time show of Super Bowl V in 1971. She also sang at the funeral of President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973.
In March 1980, Bryant hosted a two-hour TV special called The Anita Bryant Spectacular. She shared her life story and sang songs.
Anti-Gay Rights Activism
Anita Bryant is well known for her activism against gay rights.
On March 23, 1969, Bryant took part in a "Rally for Decency" in Miami. This rally protested a performance by Jim Morrison and the Doors.
Bryant led a very public campaign called "Save Our Children". This campaign started an organized movement against gay rights across the nation.
Campaign Success and Public Reaction
On June 7, 1977, Bryant's campaign succeeded in removing the anti-discrimination law in Miami. However, this success made her opponents stronger. The gay community fought back by forming groups like the Coalition for Human Rights. They organized a boycott of orange juice.
Many gay bars in North America stopped serving drinks made with orange juice. Instead, they served the "Anita Bryant Cocktail," which used vodka and apple juice. People also sold items like buttons and T-shirts with slogans such as "A day without human rights is like a day without sunshine." The money from these sales helped fund the fight against Bryant's campaign.
In 1977, Florida lawmakers passed a rule that stopped gay people from adopting children. This ban was later overturned in 2008.
Bryant was one of the first public figures to have a pie thrown at her as a political protest. This happened during a TV appearance in Iowa on October 14, 1977. While covered in pie, she began to pray. Her husband then threw a pie at the protesters.
Gay activists made sure the boycott on Florida orange juice grew. Many celebrities, including Jane Fonda and Vincent Price, supported it. Johnny Carson, a famous talk show host, often made jokes about Bryant on his show. In 1978, Bryant and her husband wrote a book about their campaign. The gay community continued to see Bryant as a symbol of opposition to their rights. Her name also encouraged many gay rights activists to protest her events and attend pride marches.
Bryant led more campaigns across the country to remove local anti-discrimination laws. In 1978, her success led to the Briggs Initiative in California. This initiative would have allowed public schools to fire employees who supported gay people. However, many groups and important political figures, including President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, spoke against it. The initiative was defeated.
Career Decline and Financial Issues
The impact of Bryant's political activism hurt her career in music and entertainment. In February 1977, a company called Singer Corporation canceled plans to sponsor her TV show. They cited the "extensive national publicity" from her controversial activities.
Bryant's marriage to Bob Green also ended, and she divorced him in 1980. Some religious groups stopped inviting Bryant to perform after her divorce. This caused her to lose a lot of income. The Florida Citrus Commission also ended her contract, saying she was no longer an effective spokesperson.
Bryant's public image changed from a respected Christian spokesperson to someone seen as narrow-minded. TV hosts and comedians, like Johnny Carson, often made fun of her. This led to many of her endorsement deals being canceled.
With three of her children, she moved from Miami to Selma, Alabama, and then to Atlanta, Georgia. In a 1980 magazine article, she said, "The church needs to wake up and find some way to cope with divorce and women's problems." She also said she was "more inclined to say live and let live" regarding her views on gay people.
Bryant appeared in Michael Moore's 1989 film Roger & Me. In the film, she visited Flint, Michigan, to help with efforts to improve its economy.
Bryant married her second husband, Charlie Hobson Dry, in 1990. They tried to restart her music career in places like Branson, Missouri. They opened Anita Bryant's Music Mansion, where she performed her old songs and shared her Christian beliefs. This business was not successful. The Music Mansion filed for bankruptcy in 2001, leaving unpaid employees and debts.
Bryant and Dry also filed for bankruptcy in Arkansas in 1997. They had unpaid taxes and debts from another failed show. In 1996, Bryant said she was happy to be out of show business.
Later Activities
In 2005, Bryant returned to Barnsdall, Oklahoma, for its 100th anniversary. A street was renamed in her honor. In 2007, she performed at her old high school in Tulsa. 2008, she was living in Edmond, Oklahoma, and doing charity work through Anita Bryant Ministries International.
Personal Life
In 2021, Bryant's granddaughter, Sarah Green, publicly shared that she was marrying a woman. She was unsure whether to invite her grandmother to the wedding.
Legacy
Anita Bryant's name is often used as an example of someone who opposed LGBT rights. Many artists and TV shows have referenced her in their work.
For example, the Dutch singer Zangeres Zonder Naam wrote a protest song called "Luister Anita" ("Listen Up, Anita") in 1977. The song compared Anita Bryant to Hitler and encouraged gay people to fight for their rights.
Steve Gerber, a writer for Marvel Comics, created a group called the Sinister S.O.O.F.I. (Save Our Offspring from Indecency) in his Howard the Duck comics. This group was led by a character similar to Anita Bryant.
Bryant was often made fun of on Saturday Night Live and The Gong Show. The film Airplane! also included a joke about her. Other TV shows like Soap, Designing Women, and The Golden Girls also targeted her.
In his 1980 novel More Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin used Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign to inspire a character to reveal they were gay.
In a 2005 episode of Will and Grace, a character joked about Bryant.
Bryant appears in old video clips in the 2008 film Milk, which is about gay rights activist Harvey Milk. She was also a main character in the 2011 play, Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins.
In 2013, producers announced plans for a movie about Bryant's life, possibly starring Uma Thurman. Later, Ashley Judd and Neil Patrick Harris were also linked to the project.
A musical called The Loneliest Girl in the World about Bryant's life premiered in San Diego in 2018.
Old footage of Bryant was used in The Gospel of Eureka, a 2018 documentary about LGBT people and evangelical Christians in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Images for kids
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Fundraising card for the Save Our Children campaign
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An anti-Bryant campaign button supporting a boycott of the Save Our Children campaign
