Rod McKuen

Associated Press

'Ginny Orangeseed'

MIAMI (P)": Singer-poet Rod McKuen joined the growing Dade County homosexual rights controversy yesterday criticizing singer Anita Bryant as "a kind of Ginny Orangeseed spreading bigotry throughout the land" and announcing a series of benefit concerts around the state.

"I would ask those who may listen to Anita Bryant, 'When are people going to stop taking it upon themselves to be policemen?' McKuen said. "I am not interested in Ms. Bryant's personal life and I am convinced that there are more constructive things for her to do than to infringe on the privacy of individual American citizens."

Miss Bryant, a spokeswoman for Florida's citrus industry, formed a group called Save Our Children that gathered enough signatures in

McKuen for gay rights, attacks Anita Bryant

a petition campaign to force the Dade County Commission to call a special June 7 election on the homosexual rights law it passed earlier this year. Th measure prohibits discrimination against homosexuals in housing and employment.

McKuen, whose songs include "Love's Been Good to Me," "Seasons in the Sun" and "Jean," said at a news conference that he has canceled several appearances outside Florida in order to campaign. The first benefit was scheduled for tonight, in Miami, with proceeds going to the county's Gay Coalition. The coalition is raising money to support the homosexual rights law.

"While the specter of Chairperson Bryant astride a galloping white horse is certainly theatrical enough, the woman is dangerous," McKuen said.

"If she continues to mount her crusade, I intend to call upon every comedian friend I know to have so many jokes go forth about her throughout the land that she will be a laughing stock such as this country has never seen. before."

He cited a Miami Magazine interview in which Miss Bryant was quoted as attributing a drought in California to the fact that several cities there had passed homosexual rights laws. McKuen, asked if he was a

homosexual, said, "I've been attracted to men and I've been attracted to women. I have a 16year-old son. You put a label on.

"This is not an issue of sexuality, it is an issue of human rights."

Save our Children spokesman Mike Thompson called McKuen's comments "an hysterical outburst" and an "attack on Judaism and Christianity."

"What Mr. McKuen and his fellow perverts do in privacy is their business," Thompson said. "What their fellow homosexuals would do in our children's classrooms is our business."

He called McKuen an “out-oftown carpetbagger."