Remembering Thom Higgins, the activist who creampied Anita Bryant & gave us an iconic gay slogan
pic.twitter.com/wWsw4i5kyhThom Higgins will always be remembered for smushing a banana cream pie in Anita Bryant’s face. But his enormous contributions to the gay rights movement stretch far beyond one stunt, albeit a hilarious one.
In fact, Higgins is even credited with coining the term “gay pride!”In the wake of Bryant’s recent passing, the now-iconic clip of Higgins stuffing her face with a creamy treat in 1977 has gone viral.
Bryant was spewing her typical ignorant vile at a press conference in Des Moines, Iowa, before suddenly… bam!Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.Though the creampie didn’t change Bryant’s heart or mind–she prayed for Higgins to be “delivered from his deviant lifestyle”—it did reverberate across the queer community. “This is the year of the pie,” Higgins told reporters afterwards. “I saved her from a bullet.
The pie thing relieved a lot of anger that gays feel towards her. … It left another bigot with a sticky face.”Thom Higgins, thank you.
