She was only following her conscience.
Anita Bryant was the outspoken pop-singer, spokes model for the Florida Orange Juice industry, former 2nd runner-up Miss America, Christian fundamentalist wife and mom from Florida who began a campaign to repeal a Dade County ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. She won the campaign and the ordinance was repealed, but she lost everything in the process, and together with Jerry Falwell and the Silent Majority, inadvertently did more for gay rights and same-sex marriage than anyone could have imagined.
Anita Bryant's career and private life was essentially destroyed because she opposed 'gay power'. She became the butt of jokes and derogatory sit-com dialog, and after divorcing her first husband, she found herself rejected by her church. If you look at what she said however, it isn't all that different from what we who oppose gay marriage say today:
"What these people really want, hidden behind obscure legal phrases, is the legal right to propose to our children that theirs is an acceptable alternate way of life. [...] I will lead such a crusade to stop it as this country has not seen before." - SourceBryant's campaign brought the libs out in droves in support of gay rights and equality; pop stars, movie stars, politicians, business, academia, liberals of all stripes. Anita Bryant represented the repressive Bible-banger religious right, Good Christian
Repeals happen. Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed. Rumour has it Obama is discussing the possibility of repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, not that it is up to him to do. Of course he used to be for it, just like he was against same-sex marriage at one time. But politicians only go where the wind blows:
Supporters of the Democratic Party will credit Obama as a fighter for LGBT equality, but the real credit belongs to the tireless efforts of advocates and activists for LGBT rights over the years, as well as the bravery of millions of LGBT people who have come out to family, friends and coworkers, and who have spoken up against discrimination. - SourceMedia and lefty-celebrities and pop-culture run the show. I think Obama was on The View this week. Maybe Glee will be his next stop.
BTW: Anita Bryant deserves an apology.
she deserves an apology... for what?
ReplyDeleteI don't know - maybe simply because her life was more or less destroyed in the counter campaign to do exactly that. In retrospect, it seems to me she acted in good faith, in accord with her conscience. To be honest, I never paid much attention to that stuff way back when.
ReplyDeleteAnytime someone enters the "political fray," and especially when one uses the repulsive rhetoric that she did, one would be abysmally ignorant to not expect some pushback. In other words, if you throw enough cow sh*t, someone is going to throw it back at you.
DeleteYou're right I guess. She's obviously still a lightening rod for these issues.
ReplyDeleteIt's like you always say: everything we say exists from now on. We might think it doesn't matter, but it's always there. And it can come back to haunt us.
DeleteI remember in the late 70s when this happened. I was in junior high. I remember seeing her get a pie in her face on tv. I remember how shocked I was that something like that would happen on tv. I remember later seeing t-shirts that said, "squeeze a fruit for Anita". I remember her being the butt of jokes. All I could think at the time was that she was simply standing up for her faith and what she thought was right.
ReplyDeleteWhat were some of the more outrageous things she said? Do you think she hated the sinner or just hated the sin? Do you think Christian people hate homosexuals, or just hate what they do. It's a serious question. Open forum here.
ReplyDeleteI personally think she hated both the sinner and the sin, but more importantly she used her campaign to try to boost her career. That endeavor failed miserably.
Delete“If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nailbiters.”
I can't speak for Anita here. I think there is definately a hatred among many Christians for homosexual people. I think it stems from fear perhaps. I don't know. I think there is no differentiation made between those who are seeking to live a life faithful to the Gospel and at the same time struggle with ssa. The advances made by the gay movement have only exacerbated the situation for many. Especially among Evangelicals and fundamentalists there is this notion that when one is truly "saved" they are "delivered" of their disordered attractions. One also finds the notion that the goal of all homosexuals is to become heterosexual as opposed to becoming HOLY. Holiness is the goal for everyone struggling with disordered attractions. There is no room for hatred in the hearts of Christians.
ReplyDeleteservusmariaen:
ReplyDeleteI grew up secular. After I converted, I was very sympathetic to SSA people. Then I got this brochure from a church mentioning bisexual people.( Like if you go both ways, you deserve two partners!?!). I was still live and let live. It changed to fear when at the same church, people standing to morality as always taught were pilloried as fundamentalist bigots. I am a lot less sympathetic now.
Vickie
Servusmariaen writes : "One also finds the notion that the goal of all homosexuals is to become heterosexual as opposed to becoming HOLY."
ReplyDeleteOf course it should be their goal. Separating oneself from a disordered appetite requires striving for that which is ordered. Holiness is willed, and part of that will is willing what is proper to ourselves.
Vices related to the sexual appetite are no different than any other vice, we habituate ourselves to virtue by striving for the virtue the vice is a corruption of. If a man is not striving to virtue he cannot be holy.
From the Courage website:
DeleteIntrinsically Disordered is the quality ascribed by the Catholic Church to homosexuality in all levels of understanding. The attraction to members of one's own sex is intrinsically disordered. Intrinsically refers to something in and of itself, of its nature. Disordered means that it is out of the order of creation, that God did not intend it for man. Because PPH have acquired a false identity of "gay" or "lesbian" with false attributes of created being, immutability, etc., and have decided that this is who they "are" rather than SSA is what they "feel," they claim the church calls them "disordered persons." It does not. The Catholic Church already offers its truth regarding human identity. No person is disordered, but rather the homosexual inclination or the homosexual condition of feelings, acts and such are disordered. One may "have" a disordered feeling, thought, act, self image as part of a condition, but the person is not disordered in and of himself (Basil Hume 1995 Clarification).
We all have our crosses to bear...right? SSA is no greater sin than pornography, but we would be remiss if we did not do something about porn, starting with ourselves of course. The real danger in speaking out is that it might expose our pride, especially as we get pushback and especially if you are as hypocritical as me. Know the issues, practice detatchment, and prudence and be not afraid. We can always gain in humility!
ReplyDeleteI was catching up on my reading and just got to the "Obama evolution" piece. I suggest those comments regarding chastity and degrees of sinfullness regarding ssa and porn, etc. to my own. I made the stupid comment about gaining in humility!
ReplyDeleteok: I have grown to dislike many "gay" people: just as I have grown to dislike many "leftists". this is because; both sets seem determined to see all they think, say, do, believe, to be Wonderful, simply because They are doing it, and how dare anyone ever question, look at, assess, Them. Since today very few individuals openly express self-criticism, or show that they are striving to overcome personal faults, or simply talk about what they have seen as a problem they have (boy, I sure am quick to judge how young people dress; I sure do gossip alot, please forgive me and help me stop, I am prone to selfishness....)this idea of any confession of self-fault is foreign. Our society is careening over the cliff in blindness. the rage that "leftists" and "gays" are filled with frightens me. we don't really have to deal much with each other anymore....where there is an interection, it often involves a crash. I have been the butt of such contempt, disgust, distain and sneers for being a Catholic, I always wonder what would happen if such expressions went toward them....I think the police would be called. and the newspaper. seriously. I hide out, now.
ReplyDeleteShe exercised her free speech, so did others, she lost, boo hoo.
ReplyDelete