You can’t talk about Gay Pride with addressing the crazy anti-gay activists. None, in my opinion, was crazier than the former beauty queen Anita Bryant.
In the 1970s, she tried to stigmatize gay men as child predators. Her campaign backfired gloriously.
Her nationalized bigotry galvanized the Gay community in way we never assumed possible. A blessing in disguise.
Her career was devastated. The Florida Citrus Commission dropped her. She lost contracts, income, endured public ridicule, divorce, financial ruin, and multiple bankruptcies.
In 1977, Thom Higgins infamously threw a banana cream pie in her face during a televised press conference. In the end, she unwittingly gave Gays greater visibility and acceptance.
This photo encapsulates the Anita Bryant legacy.
#GayPride #PrideMonth