Anita Bryant

Anita Bryant
Bryant in the January 1971 issue of Billboard
Born	Anita Jane Bryant (1940-03-25)March 25, 1940 Barnsdall, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	December 16, 2024(2024-12-16) (aged 84) Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupations	Singer activist
Years active	1956–2016[a]
Spouses	Bob Green ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1980)​ Charlie Dry ​ ​ (m. 1990; died 2024)​
Children	4
Musical career
Genres	Pop Christian
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Carlton Columbia London Word
Musical artist

Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and a Christian activist against gay rights in the United States. She had three top 20 hits in the United States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and a brand ambassador for the Florida Citrus Commission from 1969 to 1980.

From 1977 to 1980, Bryant was an outspoken Christian opponent of gay rights in the United States. In 1977, she ran the Save Our Children campaign to repeal a local ordinance in Miami-Dade County, Florida, that outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Supporters of gay rights condemned Bryant for her campaign. Assisted by prominent figures in music, film, and television, they retaliated by boycotting the orange juice that she promoted. The campaign ended on June 7, 1977 with a 69% majority vote to repeal the ordinance (which Dade County restored in 1998). Though this was a success for Bryant, it permanently damaged her public image, and her contract with the Florida Citrus Commission was terminated three years later. This, as well as her later divorce from Bob Green, damaged her financially. Bryant never regained her former prominence and filed for bankruptcy twice.

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