'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAIAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAIBAAAgICAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEQAEBSEGEhMUYf/EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/xAAUEQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDKIvFhucZv8vFs/Xg03RHV1pixIBCi6JPVdjIskb/I3rDL62atiTX71jGB/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Anita Bryant, an activist known for her stance against gay rights, passed away at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma, at the age of 84. As we reminisce about her professional and personal history, let's take a look at one of the key incidents during her crusade against gay rights days when she was pied in the face.
Anita Bryant gained national attention in the late 1970s for her staunch opposition to gay rights, particularly after she campaigned to repeal a Dade County, Florida ordinance that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. She led a movement called Save Our Children, which sought to halt the progress of the gay rights movement.
Among the harmful claims Anita Bryant promoted was the false idea that homosexuals 'recruit' children through abuse. Her outspoken anti-gay stance made Bryant a prominent figure in conservative circles but a controversial and divisive figure elsewhere. By 1977, members of the Minneapolis-based LGBTQ+ group, Target City Coalition, had already pie-faced at least three prominent anti-gay activists. Anita Bryant, a well-known figure in the movement against gay rights, seemed like a likely next target.
She was 'pied' during a televised appearance in Iowa when writer and gay rights activist Thom L. Higgins threw a pie in her face, marking one of the earliest public incidents of its kind.
While wiping the pie off her eyes, Bryant immediately responded with:
“Well at least it’s a fruit pie!”
After this comment, she asked people to pray and started sobbing.
Anita Bryant faced a decline after the pie incident
As reported by The Herald, the pie incident is often seen as the turning point in Anita Bryant’s career and campaign, marking the decline of her influence. While she continued to promote her 'Save Our Children' agenda across the U.S., she struggled to regain the same level of support.
In response to Anita Bryant’s campaign, the LGBTQ+ community launched a boycott of Florida orange juice, which she had endorsed as its spokesperson. Many gay bars replaced the popular screwdriver cocktail with a drink called the "Anita Bryant," made with vodka and apple juice.
Trending
The profits from these new drinks were donated to a fund dedicated to opposing Bryant's efforts and supporting the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. In 1980, she lost her high-paying contract with the Florida Citrus Commission, and her reputation further took another hit when she and her husband divorced in the same year. She faced backlash from people who criticized her for Bryant for not abiding by the Christian family values that she seemed to have preached.
In 1997, she filed for bankruptcy, and since then, she has largely faded from the public eye, becoming a less prominent figure in history.
Reply
