A referendum in Dade County Florida, forced by pressure from fundamentalist Xtian, Anita Bryant, husband Bob Green and their “Save Our Children” organization, and one of the first ballot measures of this type, repeals a county ordinance prohibiting discrimination on basis of sexual orientation. It was the first major battle — and defeat — in struggle for Gay Rights in United States. It was also the first successful use of “child molestation tactic” by anti- Gay forces and set the pattern of attack for remainder of Seventies and into Eighties.
It was working so well a California State Senator John Briggs thought he would import it into the California Initiative process. We stopped them. No On Six became the first important victory in the anti-LGBT march. I know. I was a press secretary for the campaign.
As a coda: Bryant’s marriage to Bob Green failed, and in 1980 she divorced him, citing emotional abuse and latent suicidal thoughts. Green refused to accept this, saying that his fundamentalist religious beliefs did not recognize civil divorce and that she was still his wife “in God’s eyes.” In 2007, Green stated: “Blame Gay people? I do. Their stated goal was to put her out of business and destroy her career. And that’s what they did. It’s unfair.” Karma’s a bitch, huh Bob?