In fact, McKuen was a longtime supporter of gay rights. McKuen publicly opposed the Florida Citrus spokeswoman-dubbing Bryant with the name ‘Ginny Orangeseed’-and gave benefit performances in Miami and at gay discos in New York and LA to raise money for gay rights groups. I first encountered Rod McKuen’s name while researching Anita Bryant’s 1977 anti-gay Save Our Children campaign in Florida. For many readers, these obituaries functioned as the final word on McKuen’s legacy so what does it mean that the mainstream press all but erased McKuen’s queer past and gay activism? Rod McKuen, “Slide Easy In…” Discus Studios, 1977. When the singer and poet Rod McKuen died on January 29th at the age of 81, major publications including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post paid tribute to his numerous accomplishments.