St. Paul Citizens for Human Rights

P.O. Box 80134, St. Paul, MN (1978)

A mother of four, Anita Bryant became involved with antigay politics when she read about a national child pornography ring in the Chicago Tribune.(1) Other newspapers reported similar cases and instigated a furor; the Los Angeles Times outrageously suggested that 30,000 children were being abused and “recruited” by L.A. homosexuals.(2) Bryant, her husband, and other Dade County residents used this mania to successfully convince voters to repeal gay rights in Miami in 1977. Bryant’s success in Florida encouraged her to “take her show on the road.” She traveled to Wichita, Kansas, and Eugene, Oregon, but in 1978, she focused her efforts on St. Paul in Minnesota. The capital city faced a referendum to repeal a non-discrimination ordinance passed by the city council in 1974. This contentious vote took place before positive portrayals of queer people in mainstream media; for many months, about 1/3 of voting citizens were undecided simply because they were unaware of the queer community before the referendum took place. Bryant’s mannerisms and folksy rhetoric was difficult for these undecided voters to resist—she presented the repeal as a chance to “Save Our Children” from predatory queer teachers. St. Paul activists organized as “St. Paul Citizens for Human Rights” (SPCHR) shortly after the Rev. Richard A. Angwin presented more than 7,000 signatures to the City Clerk’s office in January of 1978.(3)

A Door Hanger from the 1978 Campaign. Courtesy of the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection.

In little over three months, SPCHR issued countless press releases, organized fundraisers, conducted door-to-door campaigns, and garnered supportive statements from the mayor and community leaders. The organization and its supporters went into April 25th with high expectations—they optimistically planned a celebratory party in the St. Paul Civic Center—but their efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful. Voters repealed equal rights in St. Paul, and SPCHR only lasted long enough to repay its debt before disbanding in the fall of 1978.

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(1)Zahasky, Kay. “Anita Bryant: Exclusive Interview” Today’s Student, 2/6/78. Front Page.

(2)The Los Angeles Times, 11/19/76.

(3)"St. Paul Citizens for Human Rights Collection." Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies: University of Minnesota Libraries.

Part of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: 100 Queer Places in Minnesota History, (1860-1969), (1969-2010)