Anita Bryant

Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and anti-gay rights activist. She scored four Top 40 hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses".^[1] She was also a former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner.

Anita Bryant
Bryant in 1971
Background information
Birth name	Anita Jane Bryant
Born	(1940-03-25)March 25, 1940 Barnsdall, Oklahoma, U.S.
Origin	Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	December 16, 2024(2024-12-16) (aged 84) Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres	Pop, Christian
Occupation(s)	Singer, anti-gay activist
Years active	1956–2016
Labels	Carlton, Columbia, London, Word

In the 1970s, Bryant became known as an outspoken critic of gay rights in the U.S. In 1977, she ran the "Save Our Children" campaign to repeal a local ordinance in Dade County, Florida which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Her involvement with the campaign was condemned by gay rights activists.^[2]

Bryant died on December 16, 2024 at her home in Edmond, Oklahoma from cancer at the age of 84.^[3]