Anita Bryant
Anita Bryant | |
|---|---|
Bryant in 1971 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anita Jane Bryant |
| Born | March 25, 1940 Barnsdall, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Origin | Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | December 16, 2024 (aged 84) Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, Christian |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, anti-gay activist |
| Years active | 1956–2016 |
| Labels | Carlton, Columbia, London, Word |
Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and anti-gay rights activist. She scored four Top 40 hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses".[1] She was also a former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner.
In the 1970s, Bryant became known as an outspoken critic 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 which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Her involvement with the campaign was condemned by gay rights activists.[2]
Bryant died on December 16, 2024 at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma from cancer at the age of 84.[3]
References
- ↑ "Anita Bryant". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ↑ Tobin, Thomas C. (April 28, 2002). "Bankruptcy, ill will plague Bryant". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2011-01-23. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Anita Bryant, Whose Anti-Gay Politics Undid a Singing Career, Is Dead at 84". The New York Times. January 9, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2025.