After failing at almost everything she has tried since the late 1970′s, former orange juice queen turned homophobe Anita Bryant (pictured) is back. She is speaking at the anti-gay, “Reclaiming America for Christ” rally in Oklahoma City tonight.
The hate event will also include the husband of state Rep. Sally Kern (R). The ever-lying David Barton of Wallbuilders will be appearing. Barton is known for inventing quotes out of thin air and ascribing them to the Founding Fathers. How Christian….
Reclaiming America For Christ was started by D. James Kennedy and is traditionally held in the liberal city of Fort Lauderdale, FL. As the right wing is losing steam, they are retreating to strongholds, such as rural Oklahoma. Recent mega-events from right wing groups have turned out to be duds this year. It will be interesting to see how this free event in Oklahoma does in terms of attendance. If Bryant can’t draw a crowd in the most conservative part of the nation, the extreme right should be very concerned.
Here are examples of three anti-gay mega events this year where attendance fell flat.
1) The Awakening conference, (Lynchburg, Va)
2) “May Day 2010: A Cry To God For A Nation In Distress”, (Washington, DC)
3) Sarah Palin at Old Dominion
[h/t Hate Trackers/Gossip Boy]
Tags: Anita Bryant, David Barton, Oklahoma City, Reclaiming America for Christ21 Comments »
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Well how big a crowd could she draw? Didn’t most of her fans die 20 years ago?
Comment by Bill S — July 9, 2010 @ 5:14 pm
As much as the Christian Right whines and tries to take back the U.S. for “Christ”, the vast majority of people, both Christians and non-Christians will recognize it for what it is…just look at the progress that the Presbyterian Church USA has been making over the past few days.
Comment by KyleJL — July 9, 2010 @ 5:35 pm
Well, actually Tonya, we go undercover more than almost anyone. We’ve done it three times this month alone — in much more sensitive situations than you can imagine. So, Truth Wins Out takes a backseat to no one in this arena. We are not simply bloggers, but activists who blog.
However, thanks for your important information. We are glad to have the original source and have happily provided a link to that site and their excellent work on this story.
Comment by Wayne Besen — July 9, 2010 @ 6:44 pm
Embarrassing confession time:
I used to OWN an Anita Bryant record, when I was about 7 or 8. It was around the time she was appearing in ads for Florida orange juice with the animated mascot “Orange Bird”. The record was a tie-in promotion with ditties about the character-I even remember a bit of the songs (it was a 4-track ep).
She began her anti-gay crusade a few years later, at around the exact time I was coming to terms with being gay (around 13), and I felt really let down.
I’d like to say I smashed the record, but I think by that time it was already lost. Or sold at a yard sale, or something.
Comment by Bill S — July 9, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
In Holland in the 1970′s there was a big concert called “A Miami Nightmare” which went on all night with most of the big stars and leading politicians appearing in order to raise money for a full page advert in TIME magazine “A Message From The PEople of Holland”, one of the stars was a singer named “De Zangeress Zonder Naam” a household name in Holland who wrote a song entitled “Listen Anita “. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRnHvywaMa8
Comment by David Wainwright — July 9, 2010 @ 7:13 pm
Anita Bryant, Sally and the Rev. Kern, D. James Kennedy .. honestly, do these people have ANYONE of integrity to offer up before the Nation as a credible witness for their cause? What is sad is Anita’s pathetic attempt to be someone … in a world that oculdn’t care less (of course I can’t speak for the Evangelicals and Fundies on that). And finally … (just my thoughts) what the heck hallucinigen is Tonya on???
Comment by Will Byrd — July 9, 2010 @ 7:26 pm
Reclaiming America for Christ? When did he ever own it?
Comment by Buffy — July 9, 2010 @ 8:26 pm
I cannot believe she is coming back to haunt people more than two decades later. Let’s the impact she will cause to the gay cause. Most people now are much more opened and we are in a total different environment than that one in the 70′s. I would risk saying she will not make a thousandth of the impact she did back in the old good 70′s – not to mention she will help portray the religious discrimination and intolerance that leaves most committed couples in the dark. We saw the raise again … I hope the fall follows. Nothing personal, she is just on the wrong side of evolution. maybe she can join Hawaii’s governor and pray for each other.
Comment by JB — July 9, 2010 @ 10:59 pm
When she tried this crap the first time, she lost 70% of her bookings AND her contract with the Florida Citrus Growers Association. I guess she figures she has nothing else to lose. Stupid bitch.
Comment by James Simmons — July 9, 2010 @ 11:14 pm
Folks, I have un-approved all comments about the troll.
When trolls emerge, please do not feed them.
And if you wish to offer a clarification or correction, please treat us like human beings.
Many thanks.
Comment by Michael Airhart — July 10, 2010 @ 2:42 am
Bill S, I had the same Anita Bryant album at the same age. I later garage-saled it mainly because it was dorky, and only secondarily because she had been exposed as a meanie.
Comment by Michael Airhart — July 10, 2010 @ 2:50 am
My proudest moment came in 1999. A group of Miami residents–priests, rabbis, teachers, doctors, etc–including me (a police sergeant), testified before the Miami-Dade County Commission about workplace discrimination against GLBT people. At the end of the day, Miami-Dade County residents won passage of a new Human Rights Ordinance by 1 vote. About 25 years before, Anita Bryant and her band of haters had managed to have the first ordinance of this type in US history repealed by public referendum. My public activism cost me my police job and I moved to Europe a year later, never to return. But being pushed out of ones comfort zone and forced to pursue new horizons can be a good thing. So THANK YOU, ANITA BRYANT, for returning to the stage so that we never forget how shitty things used to be for us in the old days. So if you get a shit pie in the face this time instead of Boston Cream, then so be it!
Comment by Eugene Nichols — July 10, 2010 @ 10:12 am
OMG! I thought this old dragon was on life-support somewhere, or maybe seeing the USA in her Chevrolet or drunk on vodka and *orange juice* dreaming dreams of the glorious career that she never had because of doz mean ol’ unsaved homaseckshalls. I was 24 when this self-righteous shmendrick started her hate fest and 32 years later I’d still like to smash a grapefruit into her smug puss.
Comment by Gary (NJ) — July 10, 2010 @ 10:43 am
God…she must be my mother’s age by now, and that can’t be pretty. Haters usually don’t age well.
Comment by Jeff — July 10, 2010 @ 1:52 pm
Isn’t there an interactive Anita pie throwing contest vid game out there yet?
Comment by BillySaint — July 10, 2010 @ 3:07 pm
Three things brought me out of the closet in a big way in Danville, Virginia during the spring of 1979 when I was 19: First was seeing how nasty things were getting in Dade County, FL with the whole Anita Bryant thing. Second was reading about the “night of rage” following the trial absolving the murderer of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. Third was coming back from Spring Break in New Orleans and seeing “out” people everywhere being themselves. Now I’m 50, and goddamnit, Anita Bryant, is still alive and stirring up hate!
Comment by Eugene Nichols — July 10, 2010 @ 6:14 pm
I remember a perfect example of just how stupid and apparently illiterate she is. During her heyday, the was an interview published in one of the gay rags ( I think it was Christopher Street, but I don’t remember for sure), in which she stated that the biggest problem she has with gays is that they swallow semen. I guess she never heard of lesbians. But I digress. When confronted with the fact that heterosexual women also do that for their significant others, she said, and I quote, “You see, it’s spreading!”
Comment by Paul Paris — July 10, 2010 @ 9:19 pm
[...] For those of you who haven’t heard (all two of you) the BITCH from decades past has come back to spread more of her homophobic bullshit, this time with “a little help from her friends” according to Truth Wins Out . [...]
Pingback by Anita Bryant Back For More Homophobic Swill After Decades Of Silence | Focus On The Rainbow — July 11, 2010 @ 2:04 am
If Anita Bryant says the sort of things this time around that she did thirty years ago even many conservative Republicans will distance themselves from her. This country is far more enlightened on the subject of gay rights than it was in the seventies, although there is still much progress to be made.
Comment by Tom Brown — July 11, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
Paul Paris-LOL!!! I wonder what Anita would say if she found out that when I was in my 20s (back in the 70s) I came out to my cousin (she already knew–duh) and I started giving her sexual tips that would probably make her boyfriend happy, which she promptly shared with her girlfriends. This may be TMI, but I remember telling her (remember we were 20something) that they could mount and do their guys while they were doing bench presses (you can see my own fantasies here). They all took my advice and it was a smashing success. Her girlfriends wanted her to ask me what else they could try. hahaha I’ll leave it at that!
Comment by Gary (NJ) — July 12, 2010 @ 4:24 pm
Anita Bryant is part of a list of people that make me embarrased to be an American: George W. Bush, John Briggs, Jerry Falwell, DICK Cheney, Pat Robertson, Bill O’Reilly, Jimmy Swaggart, and of course Anita. What’s more embarrasing is that there are people who believe in, and take these peope seriously! Oh, let’s not forget Sarah Palin. AAAACK!!!
Comment by Dennis — July 14, 2010 @ 1:35 pm