Thom Higgins is credited for coining the term “gay pride.” He also earned national headlines when he threw a pie in anti-gay ...

Anita Bryant, who died at age 84, led the charge to repeal Dade County’s gay-rights law in 1977. Her movement galvanized gays and conservative Christians.

And when she got pied in the face at a press conference in Iowa—her instant response: “At least it’s a fruit pie”—a whole bunch of Americans reveled in her comeuppance.

Anita Bryant Dry, known popularly Anita Bryant — a singer and crusader against the progress of gay rights — has died at the age of 84, her family announced in an obituary.

Anita Bryant, the Florida orange juice promoter turned anti-gay rights activist who inspired the failed California Briggs Initiative, died in obscurity last month.

In October 1977, at a news conference in Des Moines, Iowa, a demonstrator walked up to Bryant and pushed a banana cream pie into her face. “At least it was a fruit pie,” Bryant ad-libbed.

Anita Bryant, a former Miss Oklahoma and popular singer who became known over the second half of her life for her outspoken opposition to gay rights, has died. She was 84.

Image | Obit-Anita-Bryant Caption: Anita Bryant, a singer and former beauty queen who became known for her anti-gay crusade in the 1970s, has died at the age of 84, her family confirmed. (Bill ...