“Sex and the City” Creator Directs HBO Biopic of Anti-Gay Activist Anita Bryant

Known for award-winning original series and films, HBO has a biopic in the works about former beauty queen/anti-gay activist, Anita Bryant.  Sex and the City creator Darren Starr is signed on to direct the film, which is going to be written by Runaway creator, Chad Hodge. According to Hollywoodreporter.com, Hodge describes Bryant as being “a fascinating person on every single level.” He went on to add, “The twist and turns of her life are incredible.”

Anita Bryant, born 1940 in Oklahoma to a religious Christian family, had already won the Arthur Godfrey's talent show and a Miss Oklahoma pageant and finished as second runner-up for Miss America, by the age of 18. A few years later she went on to be a short-lived pop singing sensation selling three million records. Bryant then married and settled down in Florida and became a celebrity pitchwoman for the nationally recognized companies Coca-Cola, Holiday Inn, Kraft and her more famous endorsement, Florida Citrus.

In June of 1977 Bryant launched a political movement against the newly established Miami-Dade County ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Her efforts were a success and the ordinance was repelled within a year. Bryant took her religious convictions to extremes by starting a national anti-gay “Save the Children” crusade while being quoted saying stupid shit like: "As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children."  Think she’s actually ever read the bible in its entirety? “I tell you, on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37 It’s always fun to throw Biblical verses back at people who use them as a tool to “condemn” those they find personally undesirable.

Seriously, Anita Bryant is notorious for putting together the most absurd asinine remarks toward gays and lesbians that lack any spec of common sense. For example: “If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernard’s, and to nailbiters.”  What does that mean?! What the hell was she mixing in her orange juice to come up that senseless rhetoric? (I’m just speculating, not accusing).

While touring thet country giving anti-gay speeches she readily supported 1978’s Proposition 6, (better know as The Briggs Initiative) a California mandate to fire gay and lesbian teachers. Fortunately, Proposition 6 was unsuccessful thanks to City Supervisor/gay rights advocate Harvey Milk’s  rigorous campaign to defeat the mandate.

The Briggs Initiative defeat was not only an historic victory for the gay rights movement but also the end of Anita Bryant’s career. LGBT communities led a nationwide boycott against Bryant resulting in her Citrus Commission contract being terminated, her book sales plummeting, and her eventual bankruptcy.

Hodge stated he plans to depict a “nuance portrayal” of Bryant in the HBO biopic and question "what drove her to do the things that she did." Good subject to explore, wouldn’t you agree? Isn’t it important to be aware of the reasons people like Anita Bryant turned out the way they did even if we don’t empathize or agree? Or maybe it’s just a means of rationalizing ignorance and hate. Either way kudos should be given to HBO for exploring the topic.