Some people are known as lightning rods. Whether they intend it or not, the attention they receive is strongly positive or negative, with no middle ground. The result is that such a person is either loved or hated.
Such a lightning rod that we Boomers grew up with was former Miss Oklahoma and 1959 Miss America second runner-up Anita Bryant.
Born in little Barnsdall, Oklahoma, a hundred or so miles away from my own birthplace, Anita was blessed with a set of pipes that made her singing talent obvious at an early age. She was performing onstage at Oklahoma county fairs at the age of six. Some time in the early 50's, Arthur Godfrey had talent scouts in Tulsa, and they heard the now-teenaged beauty sing and invited her to perform on the show. Anita's religious parents refused at first, until Mr. Godfrey himself convinced them that it would be a sin not to share her talent with the world.
In 1958, Anita won the title of Miss Oklahoma. She was also offered a recording contract, and had a few minor hits, including 1959's Paper Roses. As the 60's wore on, she was busy raising a family while releasing the occasional album.
In 1969, Bryant, now a Florida resident, was offered the job of spokeswoman for the Florida Citrus Commission. She was soon seen on commercials that we Boomers remember very well, singing "Come to the Florida sunshine tree" and explaining to us that "breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine." I have no idea how many dozens of cans of orange juice concentrate I entreated my mom to buy as a result. If the commercials affected every kid the way they did me, then the campaign must have been extremely successful.
Anita's star continued to shine brightly. Besides being asked to perform the National Anthem at the first great Super Bowl (1969), she was also called upon by the Johnson family to sing The Battle Hymn of the Republic at LBJ's funeral.
Anita Bryant was a household name throughout the 70's as the world's most famous orange juice salesman. But in 1977, she became famous for a very different reason.
That year, an ordinance was enacted in Anita's home county of Dade that prevented discrimination against anyone based on sexual orientation. Bryant felt compelled to speak out against the ordinance, and led a campaign to repeal it.
The media reported the legal battle in earnest, and Bryant was seen as Public Enemy #1 in the gay community. She was quoted as stating "As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children, therefore, they must recruit our children." Her campaign concentrated on the possible harm to children as a result of the Dade ordinance, and any other laws that granted legitimacy to the gay lifestyle.
Talk about becoming a lightning rod! The gay community was receiving lots of presstime as they struggled for recognition, and it was easy to portray Bryant as an intolerant prude. Bryant had her supporters, to be sure, but these included televangelist Jerry Falwell, not exactly a popular character in the press himself. The result was that Bryant was skewered by the media.
But she won the battle. The ordinance was overturned. However, looking back over thirty years later, it's clear that she lost the war.
She began traveling across the country, throwing her support behind various communities' attempts to overturn their own gay rights ordinances. At a 1977 Des Moines press conference, a protestor smashed a pie in her face on camera. Nonplussed, she immediately said "at least it was a fruit pie!"
However, by and large public opinion went against her. In 1979, the Florida Citrus Commission, suffering from a boycott sponsored by gays and their supporters, terminated their relationship with Bryant.
Her career spiraled downward. A very public 1980 divorce cost her much support from the Christian community. In an interview that year with Ladies Home Journal, she expressed regret for her hardline stance against homosexuals. But the damage was done. Anita Bryant, former Miss Oklahoma and professional recording artist, was officially persona non grata, as far as the general public was concerned.
Anita is still around. She has a website which, while largely under construction, has her story in her own words.
Like or dislike Anita Bryant, one thing's for sure. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind.
Thanks again to my buddy Mike over at Tulsa TV Memories for much of the information for this article.
Comments (4)
Oh, yes, I remember her from the orange juice days and from the anti-gay days. She was too much!
Posted by Rhea | March 9, 2009 8:31 AM
Posted on March 9, 2009 08:31
Anita Bryant was (prolly still is) a person for whom FEAR became the overarching emotion that ruled her behavior from childhood on. This fear was inculcated from birth by the anecdotal evidence that she was born dead and that her grandfather brought her back to life by threatening to kill the doctor. The stage was set in early life as she was raised in an extremely religious household and accepting the admonition “but for the grace of God I would not be here” (nor would anyone by that logic) and that informed her religious bent which is still extant.
I find it passing strange that as a professed Christian and such a devout follower of Christ’s teachings, she was so adamant about condemning a subset of God’s creation (the Creator who had not erred when he breathed life in to that baby on 3/25/40, obviously made a mistake when he created homosexuality not only in humans but many of his creatures.)
The fear of same sex sex or dare I say love? so clouded her mind that she forsook Jesus’ words and reverted to the Old Testament’s decree that it is an abomination (in the OT, JHVH was portrayed as sort of a grouch given to whim and trial but by the NT he had mellowed as is often a father’s wont when he is confronted with parenthood – it sure mellowed me.) The attempt to codify the behavior of a minority segment and sanction discrimination to a class of human beings was a less than ideal and less than Christian crusade which she chose to avail herself and she bore the consequences.
I would like to believe that her trials were God’s way of presenting evidence to gently (or not so) remind her that Love conquers Hate and FEAR. She is still appears to be quite fearful (her brashness and surety are a façade to tamp down the terror) but she’s alive, almost 69 and it’s never too late for an epiphany.
Posted by Burt | March 9, 2009 8:11 PM
Posted on March 9, 2009 20:11
Yes in deed! I remember her Florida Orange Days and when she went on her crusade. I was sorry to see her take that hard line view on things. And her career took the hit for it.I am glad to hear she has changed her tune!
Posted by Riversend | March 10, 2009 6:29 PM
Posted on March 10, 2009 18:29
Well, like you, Burt, I was not pleased with Anita's political campaign as I believe in political neutrality myself. But I also see the other side. Anita's rhetoric should have been easy to overcome but instead, what is the reaction? To return evil for evil with the pie which could have as easily been a bullet or the like. As MLK used to say, if we insist in eye for eye and tooth for tooth, we're all going to be going around blind and toothless. I thought freedom of speech was something Americans respected, even if they did not agree with it. Clearly, freedom of speech is not welcomed in the USA.
There is a lot to wonder about.
Posted by Scott Irv | June 23, 2009 12:20 AM
Posted on June 23, 2009 00:20