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Anita Bryant, Singer Known for Opposition to Gay Rights, Dies at 84

Anita Bryant, former Miss Oklahoma, singer, and orange juice promoter, known for her outspoken opposition to gay rights, has died at 84.

Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma, Grammy-nominated singer and prominent booster of orange juice and other products who became known over the second half of her life for her outspoken opposition to gay rights, has died. By the late 1960s, she was among the entertainers joining Bob Hope on his USO tours for troops overseas, had sung at the White House and performed at the national conventions for both the Democrats and Republicans in 1968. Unhappy with the cultural changes of the time, Bryant led a successful campaign to repeal an ordinance in Florida’s Miami-Dade County that would have prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation.

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