Article "Anita Bryant to Appear Here At Request of Area Baptists"

Article "Anita Bryant to Appear Here At Request of Area Baptists"

This article desribes the process through which Anita Bryant, a singer and opponent of civil rights for LGBTQ individuals, was invited to the Robins Center on October 8, 1977. Bryant's efforts led to repeals of anti-discriminiation on the basis of sexual orientation ordinances and further discrimination against LGBTQ people across the country. Bryant had been invited to perform at a rally to kick of the ACTION program in Richmond, designed by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention to "assist local chuches in recruiting more people for Bible study in their Sunday schools." Bryant was asked to attend the rally to perform a "concert of sacred music." Dr. Linwood Horne, associate chaplain at the University of Richmond, assited in the planning. According to Dr. Winford Hendrix of Richmond's First Baptist Church, the contract with Bryant was signed before "Bryan't involvement in the controvery over homosexual rights" and the churches did not feel they could break it. The event was not public, and there would be no press conference, but would involve an autograph signing and the sale of books. Horne specified that Bryant was not being sponsored by the Chaplain's Office, but the location was chosen partially because of the university's Baptist affiliation.

The Richmond Citizens for Gay and Lesbian Rights (RCFLR) planned a protest event for the same day in Monroe Park. RCFLR planned to educate through speakers about the "discrimination that is occuring against gays and lesbians."

Zielinkski, Jene. "Anita Bryant to Appear Here at Request of Area Baptists." The University of Richmond Collegian 65, no. 5 (October 6, 1977): 1, 7. https://collegian.richmond.edu/?a=d&d=COL19771006.2.2&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------

The Collegian, University of Richmond

1977-10-06

English

Collegian65.5.1-19771006.jpg

Richmond (Va).