Karma Came For Anita Bryant

[47of74]

I love the smell of karma in the evening. 

Quote

 It’s most likely Anita Bryant’s worst nightmare: Her granddaughter is gay and marrying a woman.

Granddaughter Sarah Green talked about her relationship with the notorious antigay crusader on a recent episode of Slate’s podcast One Year, hosted by Josh Levin and focusing on 1977, a year when the nation seemed on the verge of great change. 

Bryant, a beauty queen and pop singer, was a spokeswoman for Florida orange growers in the 1970s when she gained new fame with her opposition to gay rights. Miami-Dade County’s government adopted an ordinance in 1977 banning employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation, making it one of the first municipalities to do so. Bryant, who had testified against the ordinance, was outraged at its passage and led a campaign dubbed “Save Our Children” to persuade voters to repeal it.

Along the way, Bryant became a darling of her fellow conservative Christians and an enemy of gay people and their allies; at one point, an activist threw a pie in her face. Miami-Dade citizens did repeal the ordinance, with over 70 percent voting to do so. The city-county government restored the ordinance in 1998 and added gender identity to it in 2014.

 

Edited July 30, 2021 by 47of74

[Wolf in Sheeples’ Clothing]

Ah schadenfreude! How I love thee!

[Bluebirdbluebell]

Having a gay granddaughter is not a punishment. I hope her granddaughter and granddaughter's fiance have a long happy marriage together and that her grandmother's legacy doesn't ruin their happiness.

[Green bean satan]

25 minutes ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

Having a gay granddaughter is not a punishment. I hope her granddaughter and granddaughter's fiance have a long happy marriage together and that her grandmother's legacy doesn't ruin their happiness.

Must say I was VERY surprised this post made it through. Though I would never dare to give a DEFINITION of Karma (??????), I thought the poster meant it in a negative way. Thank god op didn’t write that the daughter was trans. She would have been eaten alive, that was why I was so surprised a negative sounding emotion derived from a mention of non heterosexuality was allowed. Must be a friend of the mods. You can get away with lying by calling it misinterpretation and then hide away behind your mistakes by mentioning your anxiety meds. Works for some I guess.

[Themanda Duggar]

9 minutes ago, Green bean satan said:

Must say I was VERY surprised this post made it through. Though I would never dare to give a DEFINITION of Karma (??????), I thought the poster meant it in a negative way. Thank god op didn’t write that the daughter was trans. She would have been eaten alive, that was why I was so surprised a negative sounding emotion derived from a mention of non heterosexuality was allowed. Must be a friend of the mods. You can get away with lying by calling it misinterpretation and then hide away behind your mistakes by mentioning your anxiety meds. Works for some I guess.

Damn!  Who peed in your wheaties, Ms Satan?

[Green bean satan]

1 hour ago, Themanda Duggar said:

Damn!  Who peed in your wheaties, Ms Satan?

Errrr, keep your sexual fantasies to yourself or go to a trans-thread and air them there. I’m not interested in hearing your perverse fantasies.

[Green bean satan]

1 hour ago, Themanda Duggar said:

Damn!  Who peed in your wheaties, Ms Satan?

Also, if you regularly fantasize about peeing in someone’s food, I suggest you look up the threads about the naked roast sitter. Right up your alley.

[nelliebelle1197]

14 hours ago, Themanda Duggar said:

Damn!  Who peed in your wheaties, Ms Satan?

Eh, this monster is a troll. Or she was a nice poster who evolve into a troll.  I guess she was fed after midnight and got wet. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by nelliebelle1197

[JermajestyDuggar]

I’m glad she still has somewhat of a relationship with her grandma. From what I’ve observed in my 38 years, this is the best way to get grandma to open her mind a little. Anita Bryant seems to be very set in her homophobic ways. But the only way she would ever soften those horrible beliefs is to see a granddaughter she loves marrying a woman she loves. To witness their love and happiness. If she can see them together confessing their love in front of everyone and still have a cold heart, then I guess there’s no helping her. But maybe Anita will refuse to even go. And she will sit at home while the rest of her family celebrates without her. 

[hoipolloi]

It would be great if Bryant had an epiphany and attended the wedding, but she should only go if she's truly there to celebrate her granddaughter's happiness. I agree that's the way grandparents & even parents can become more accepting.

Also, I wonder how much of the homophobia was her vs. her first husband who was a fundie fuckwad. Their divorce, according to her, was a consequence of his abusive treatment:

Quote

 

Mr. Green managed his wife’s rise to stardom as an entertainer and Florida citrus spokeswoman, then followed her into anti-gay activism, which ultimately destroyed their careers — and marriage in 1980. For more than 30 years, Mr. Green lived quietly, alone and resentful....

In 1980, she filed for divorce, a scandal in the Christian circles where she’d been revered. Mr. Green begged her to reconcile in an open letter: “Let us both put aside all other earthly considerations and reunite in Christian love.”

Bryant wasn’t interested. She told People magazine: “Divorce is against everything I believe in. I wanted to save my marriage, but I decided that was not the route to go.”

The following year, she told a woman’s magazine that the marriage “was never much good to begin with” and hinted that both had been unfaithful. 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2021 by hoipolloi

[nelliebelle1197]

2 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

It would be great if Bryant had an epiphany and attended the wedding, but she should only go if she's truly there to celebrate her granddaughter's happiness. I agree that's the way grandparents & even parents can become more accepting.

Also, I wonder how much of the homophobia was her vs. her first husband who was a fundie fuckwad. Their divorce, according to her, was a consequence of his abusive treatment:

 

The hypocrisy! It is stunning yet totally expected from these types.

[MamaJunebug]

Dunno if I’d call that “karma.”  I use “karma” to describe someone getting their comeuppance in a way that mirrors a wrong they did.

I’d call it “karma” if somebody successfully nullified Bryant’s second marriage because in their opinion it was against scripture. 
 

Personally, I’d describe this as a “well, well, well” moment for Bryant, finding out that a beloved granddaughter might have lost her legal rights to marry because of something Bryant did, decades ago.  

But that’s just me. I think of my Victorian-born grandmother, her dedication to her religion and her absolute acceptance of my cousin who we all knew was gay back in the 1960’s.  But then Grandma had had 6 children to raise in the Depression snd she had her work close to home, benefitting family and community. 
 

Unlike Anita Bryant, she had neither the stage nor the desire to interfere in the lives of law-abiding people who loved in their own ways. 
 

Have to mention that Bryant’s puling that gays recruited children to the lifestyle probably inspired one of the best jokes on the old “Ellen” sitcom. Ellen’s character enthusiastically & sarcastically told another character, “If I recruit one more person to be gay, I’ll win a toaster oven!”  

Edited July 30, 2021 by MamaJunebug

[PennySycamore]

One of my mom's sister married a guy who was a very staunch Wesleyan Methodist.  This is a man who my father opined was one of the most worthless men he'd even met.  My aunt was not allowed to wear pants while they were married  and her sleeves had to cover her elbows.  Anyway, he oldest son was unfortunately a clone of his dad.  He bragged at a family reunion that he's not talked to his two oldest children in seven years.  I know why he hadn't talked to his daughter -she's a lesbian.  Fortunately, her grandmother did not have the same attitude that he did about his only daughter being gay. My aunt welcomed her granddaughter and the granddaughter's partner to her home.

After my awful uncle died, you see that the oppression had lifted off my aunt.  she could and did wear what she wanted -pants, shorts, short sleeves, even sleeveless blouse when the weather called for it.  

[katilac]

On 7/30/2021 at 12:25 PM, hoipolloi said:

 Also, I wonder how much of the homophobia was her vs. her first husband who was a fundie fuckwad. Their divorce, according to her, was a consequence of his abusive treatment:

 

I found this interview with one of their sons. According to him, his dad followed his mom's lead on this and even tried to persuade her against taking a public position (out of concern for her career).  I think she was the premier fundie fuckwad in the relationship. 

Interview with Robert Green Jr

[Hane]

@katilac, back when Anita Bryant divorced Robert Green, I remember having read articles claiming that he was the one who jumped on the homophobic bandwagon and insisted she “prove her Christianity” by speaking out against “the gay lifestyle.” Thanks for sharing this article.