Will Proposition 8 Supporters Meet Anita Bryant's Fate?

In the new movie Milk and a number of gay theme movies the issue of Anita Bryant and her vicious anti-gay campaign in the late 1970's is addressed. While Bryant's efforts lead to the temporary repeal of the Dade County, Florida ordinance that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Subsequently, Bryant's group championed California's Prop 6 (also known as the Briggs Initiative), which sought to ban gays and lesbian from teaching in public schools and went down to defeat by a two-to-one margin. As for Bryant, as a result of anti-gay bigotry she ultimately ended up losing her very lucrative contract with the Florida citrus growers and her singing career tanked. She now runs a "ministry" in her native Oklahoma. Hopefully, many others who have taken anti-gay positions supporting Proposition 8 will see a similar demise to their careers and prosperity just like Anita Bryant. Bigotry and hatred need to carry a cost. Here are highlights from a Huffington Post article that looks at Bryant's brief, high profile anti-gay jihad:

*

Bryant led a now infamous antigay crusade in 1977 that successfully overturned Dade County, Fla.'s ordinance that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Archival news footage of Ms. Bryant is used throughout the Gus Van Sant-directed movie, which follows the rise of Harvey Milk (Penn) from camera-store owner to the day in 1978 he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were murdered by city supervisor Dan White.

*
Most famous for being the celebrity face of the orange-juice industry, Bryant was also a former Miss America runner-up and pop vocalist. But she became the gay community's public enemy No. 1 for leading a nationwide movement to overturn antidiscrimination laws. In 1978, Milk went head-to-head with Bryant's handiwork when she championed California's Prop 6 (also known as the Briggs Initiative), which sought to ban gays and lesbian from teaching in public schools. Unlike Prop 8, the measure was voted down by a two-to-one margin.

*

Now 68, Bryant runs her own ministry in her native Oklahoma. I called Bryant's office the other day after seeing the movie for E! Online to find out what she thinks about the upcoming movie. A man who identified himself as Bryant's second husband, Charlie Dry, said she wasn't interested in talking. . . . . I asked about conflicting reports that suggested Bryant once expressed remorse for her antigay work. Dry replied, "She never apologized, because it's wrong."

*
In the wake of Bryant's 1970s crusade, however, she lost her orange-juice gig, unsuccessfully tried to revive her singing career and reportedly filed for bankruptcy twice. After divorcing her first husband, she was reportedly shunned by the churches that once idolized her. "It's in the past, man," Dry said. "That's not in our life anymore. She's not out there doing that crap anymore--hasn't done it in 25 years."

*

Note how Bible literalist Bryant conveniently ignored the prohibition against divorce - it's so, so typical of our enemies. Apply the Bible literally against us, but ignore it when it comes to themselves. Hmm, why does the word hypocrite spring to mind?