Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Anita Bryant

So as soon as I got home from seeing Milk, I rushed to my computer to see if Anita's still alive.

She is.

31 years ago that woman was a hot mess, starting trouble where there didn't need to be any. 31 years ago my 1st daughter was born, so I wasn't paying as close attention to politics as I do now, hence my need for Google's assistance.

Was Bryant's religious crusade against homosexuals the beginning of the fundamentalist Christians' political activism? I don't recall there being a previous onslaught.

Anita made her fame as pitch woman for Florida o.j., up until a boycott of her juice, led by homosexual activists across this nation, caused juice sales to dry up @ which point the juice folks dropped her like a hot potato.

One of the central tenets of La Bryant's anti-gay fear mongering was that, because homosexuals don't reproduce, they are reduced to recruiting "our children".

Harvey Milk opened many of his rallies with "I'm here to recruit you." So, thanks Anita, for a cool rallying cry.

Too bad about your losing your lucrative o.j. endorsement and - boo hoo - your record & book sales vanishing into thin air and your having to declare bankruptcy. All that financial stress, not to mention bad press, led to your divorcing your husband. (It barely took a New York minute for La Bryant's fundamendalist fans to drop her upon learning she divorced her hubby.)

Milk's a good movie.

I hope that Milk serves as a call to action.

Get up off your duffs people, run for local office, help someone running for office. Just do it. Harvey Milk lost THREE times before being elected.

I'm here to recruit you.

8 comments:

  1. she was a singer for ages before the crap about gays.

    she and pat boone and a few other celebrities were very vocal about their take on god's feelings.

    i was quite happy to see her career dry up.

    i think her fundamentalist buddies dropped her because the money dried up and not because of the divorce.

    she was a nasty holier than thou type that spoke as if god had personally wriiten her speeches.

    nasty woman.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is Sarah Palin channeling Anita's nastiness?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gloria, I think Sarah is worse.

    The anti-ERA and anti-choice factions were somewhat in the mid-'70s, and, for a few years led by Bryant and Pat Robertson, the anti-gay faction was pretty vocal, mostly over gay teachers.

    Ironically, Bryant and her then husband divorced in 1980. The rumor was rampant that he was gay.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laurie,

    I think they divorced because the money was running out, mansions & stuff had to be let go.

    ReplyDelete
  5. In a blast from the past, your post made me recall a protest that I attended at the Civic Arena where Anita Bryant was scheduled to perform. It must have been around 1978-79. There were about 150 protesters, a little news coverage and then we went to Shawn's bar on 5th Ave, in the Lower Hill. Anyone else remember?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was there with a group from First Unitarian. We chanted , “Anita Bryant go away. Human rights are here to stay.”

      Delete
  6. Sure enough We see Milk and google the ladys name.
    Thanks for a great re-search
    where is anita bryant now

    Lovely to hear the facts.
    I will sleep better now

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think she should have been charged for hate crimes of a vocal nature and as an accessory to the murder of Harvey Milk.

    ReplyDelete