Anita Bryant will always be remembered as a spokesperson for the "family-values" christian homophobes from her potrayal in Milk and 1,000 Homosexuals.
Starting out as a runner-up for Miss World 1958, her career as a singer blossomed with the chart-topping Paper Roses . Representing Florida's Orange Bird and a political activist campaign to Save the Children (a successful homophobic initiative) side-by-side proved to be a disastrous course, bringing both her career and marriage to an end in the 80s. In 2001 she had to file for bankruptcy and was shunned by her own community for her divorce.
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What astonishes me is the amount of hate she generates even today - not just from the gay community (which is natural and understandable) but mostly from heterosexual men! There's a vindictive side to hetero men that treats a beautiful, successful and perfect woman as an enemy to be feared and hated, esp since she articulated their position so clearly.:)
That so many who were unaffected by her views revel in her fall from grace and wish her ill is characteristic petty malehood. Like straw[wo]maning everywhere, she's been pinned to a 30 yr old position with no letup as they go for overkill.
Finally, her views probably were those of her domineering husband, Green, and manipulative preacher, Brother Bill, along with the hormonal soup that comes with protective motherhood with 4 young children.
She endured and survived the troubles for her beliefs; she was a successful campaigner for her society, ... so why the crowing over her political ruin from hetero men who share her beliefs, who'd probably marry lesser versions of her and repeat the cycle?
Seems to be a pattern problem here of male values and domination, endlessly repeating: Either have kids and deal with motherhood like hers or stay single and hatin'.
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