1,000 Homosexuals Versus the OJ Queen

When former beauty queen and spokeswoman for the Florida Citrus Commission Anita Bryant took a stand against a Miami-Dade gay rights ordinance in 1977, she caused such a stir that Michael Yawney was inspired to write a play to document the media brouhaha. 1,000 Homosexuals portrays Bryant as a musical...

By MARISA WILLIAMS

February 26, 2009

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When former beauty queen and spokeswoman for the Florida Citrus Commission Anita Bryant took a stand against a Miami-Dade gay rights ordinance in 1977, she caused such a stir that Michael Yawney was inspired to write a play to document the media brouhaha. 1,000 Homosexuals portrays Bryant as a musical Joan of Arc battling a powerful and perverse gay mafia, twisting government records and newspaper articles into a carnival of ’70s-style sex and faith. If you’re not totally up on your LGBT history, Bryant is the woman who led the “Save Our Children” campaign, which aided in repealing an ordinance that protected the rights of gay Americans.

Another human rights ordinance was not created until 1998, and the Christian Coalition challenged even that in 2002 — but this time the opposition was unsuccessful. It’s been only a few months since a ban on same-sex marriages had the South Florida LGBT community crying fowl yet again, go see the play that documents how the fight began. The show runs from through March 1 at the Colony Theatre. Visit camposition.org for more info.
Feb. 28-March 1, 2009

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