Photo credit: www.cbc.ca
Anita Bryant, a notable figure who gained fame as Miss Oklahoma, a Grammy-nominated singer, and the face of orange juice, has passed away at the age of 84. She died on December 16 in her home located in Edmond, Oklahoma, as confirmed by a statement from her family to the news organization The Oklahoman on Thursday. The cause of her death has not been disclosed.
Throughout her life, Bryant became a divisive icon, embraced by the religious right while facing extensive criticism from the entertainment industry due to her vehement opposition to gay rights.
Originating from Barnsdall, Oklahoma, Bryant showcased her musical talent from a young age, hosting her local television show when she was just 12 years old. She won the title of Miss Oklahoma in 1958, subsequently launching a successful recording career with popular songs like Till There Was You, Paper Roses, and My Little Corner of the World. As a devoted Christian, she was recognized with two Grammy nominations for best sacred performance and one for best spiritual performance for her album Anita Bryant … Naturally.
By the late 1960s, Bryant had become a prominent entertainer, participating in USO tours with Bob Hope and performing at the White House. She also featured prominently in both Democratic and Republican national conventions in 1968. Her commercial success peaked with memorable advertisements for Florida orange juice, famously stating, “A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”
A Shift to Controversy and Political Activism
However, the late 1970s marked a significant turning point in Bryant’s career as she shifted toward a more controversial path. Discontent with the evolving cultural landscape, she spearheaded a campaign aimed at overturning a Miami-Dade County ordinance designed to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation.
In a Playboy interview from 1978, Bryant expressed her perspective, suggesting that those advocating for job security irrespective of sexual orientation were seeking “special privileges” that contradicted both state law and her religious beliefs.
During a 1977 press conference in Iowa, Bryant became the target of a pie-throwing incident executed by activist Thom Higgins, a moment that would resonate in the annals of political protest. Her lighthearted response—”At least it was a fruit pie”—was followed by tears and a moment of prayer for her assailant. Higgins, who later coined the term “gay pride,” was removed from the scene, reflecting the intense climate of the ongoing culture war.
The incident became emblematic of Bryant’s life and was later referenced in pop culture, notably in the Chumbawamba song Just Desserts.
Though Bryant succeeded in her political campaign, she became widely recognized as a religious zealot opposed to gay rights rather than as an entertainer. As a result, she was increasingly parodied on television shows including Saturday Night Live and The Carol Burnett Show, where Burnett famously recreated her persona in a skit involving drag queens.
With support from prominent figures like Rev. Jerry Falwell, Bryant continued her crusade against the LGBTQ+ community, labeling it a “deviant lifestyle” and using derogatory terms toward gay individuals. This stance incited a backlash, with activists organizing boycotts of products she endorsed, designing mocking merchandise, and even inventing a drink named after her that substituted apple juice for orange juice. The backlash strained her career, culminating in the Florida Citrus Commission deciding not to renew her endorsement contract in 1980, along with the loss of various opportunities.
As her career waned, her personal life also faced challenges, including the dissolution of her marriage to Bob Green and eventual financial hardships resulting in bankruptcy.
In Florida, her controversial legacy has both faced challenges and been upheld, with the ordinance against sexual discrimination reinstated in 1998. LGBTQ+ activist Tom Lander mentioned, “She won the campaign, but she lost the battle in time,” adding that the current wave of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and book bans in Florida is rooted in the harmful rhetoric popularized by Bryant.
Bryant spent her later years in Oklahoma, leading Anita Bryant Ministries International. After the passing of her second husband, NASA test astronaut Charles Hobson Dry, last year, she continued to influence discussions on LGBTQ+ issues.
In a 2021 interview, Bryant’s granddaughter, Sarah Green, revealed that she had come out as gay to her grandmother at the age of 21, receiving a theological condemnation as a response, which illustrated the stark divide in beliefs that existed within families.
Bryant leaves behind four children, two stepdaughters, and seven grandchildren, as noted in her family’s announcement.
Source
www.cbc.ca