By William “Skip” Deegans
The headliner at the 1963 West Virginia State Fair was the American vocalist Anita Bryant who died last month. In addition to appearing in the grandstand, Bryant assisted Kenneth Gillespie, horse show steward, in awarding ribbons and trophies at the Blue Grass Bowl.
Born in Oklahoma in 1940, Bryant was a promising young singer who performed on CBS’s Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts. In 1958, she was crowned Miss Oklahoma, and she was runner-up the following year at the Miss America Contest. By 1960, she was a top female recording artist, joined Bob Hope on his USO tours, sang the national anthem at the 1971 Super Bowl, and performed at Republican and Democratic conventions. One of her recordings, “Paper Roses” is still a classic.
In 1977, Dade County, Florida – where Bryant lived with her family – approved an ordinance prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public services against homosexuals. Fearing that gay teachers would prey on children, Bryant led a protest and founded Save Our Children, an anti-gay organization. In a 1978 interview in Playboy magazine, Bryant advocated for returning homosexuality to a felony offense and said it violated “God’s law.” She called gays “human garbage.” At the time of her protest, Bryant was engaged by the Florida Citrus Commission to promote Florida orange juice. In reaction to her protest, the Coalition for Human Rights sponsored a boycott of Florida orange juice that resulted in the Florida Citrus Commission canceling Bryant’s contract. The Dade County ordinance was restored, but not until 1998.
Bryant’s career as a performer collapsed after her political activities and never rebounded. She moved to Oklahoma where she and her second husband operated a Christian ministry. In 2021, Bryant’s granddaughter, Sarah Green, told her grandmother she was gay. Bryant responded by saying homosexuality is a “delusion invented by the devil.”
Photo courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Sources: New York Times, Politico, PBS, Beckley Post-Herald
