The Feast of St Thom. Born on this day. 😇. The patron saint of pie 🥧 Anita Bryant, a singer turned spokeswoman for the Florida citrus industry, added "antigay crusader" to her résumé in 1977. A conservative Christian, she became enraged when the Miami - Dade County government enacted a gay rights ordinance that year. Not satisfied with campaigning for antigay discrimination in Florida alone, she took her crusade national. “As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children” On June 7, 1977, Bryant’s campaign led to a repeal of the anti-discrimination ordinance in Dade County, FL by a margin of 69 to 31 percent. The gay community retaliated against Bryant by organizing a boycott of Florida orange juice which she was a spokeswoman for. Gay bars all over North America took screwdrivers off their drink menus and replaced them with the “Anita Bryant”, which was made with vodka and apple juice. Sales and proceeds went to gay civil rights activists and organizations to help fund their fight against Bryant and her campaign. At a press conference in Des Moines on October 14, 1977, gay rights activist Tom Higgins threw a pie in Bryant's face. She commented, "At least it was a fruit pie," then prayed for Higgins and burst into tears. Her antigay activism did serious harm in the short run but was counterproductive in the long run, providing an opportunity to educate the public about gay people. "In the weeks before and after Dade County, more was written about homosexuality than during the total history of mankind," Harvey Milk said later. #thomhiggins #gayhistory #gaypride #gayrights #queerhistory #anitabryant #anitabryantsucksoranges #knowyourhistory #boycottfloridaoranges #gay #queer #lgbtqhistory #gaysaints #gaypridemonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce6VZkqLNwe/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
