Anita Bryant

Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer who later became famous for her anti-gay activism. She scored four "Top 40" hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses" which reached No. 5 on the charts. She is also the 1958 Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and was a brand ambassador from 1969 to 1980 for the Florida Citrus Commission.In the 1970s, Bryant became known as an outspoken opponent of gay rights in the U.S. In 1977, she ran the "Save Our Children" campaign to repeal a local ordinance in Dade County, Florida, that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Her involvement with the campaign was condemned by gay rights activists. They were assisted by many other prominent figures in music, film, and television, and retaliated by boycotting the orange juice that she had promoted. Though the campaign ended successfully with a 69% majority vote to repeal the ordinance on June 7, 1977 (prior to Dade County restoring the ordinance in 1998), it permanently damaged her public image, leading her contract with the Florida Citrus Commission being terminated three years later. This, as well as her later divorce with Bob Green, damaged her financially. Bryant never regained her former prominence and filed for bankruptcy twice. She lives in her home state of Oklahoma.