Publishing, Fashion Titan Anna Wintour Adds Voice to NY Marriage Equality Push

"Vogue" Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour has joined a cadre of performers, politicians, and even a pro athlete in speaking out for the right of gay and lesbian families to wed.

With the release of the new 30-second spot, Wintour became the latest high-profile figure to take a public stand for family parity. The video is part of a series created by the Human Rights Campaign. The videos are part of the "New Yorkers for Marriage Equality" campaign.

"As far as I'm concerned, having the right to say 'I Do' is as fundamental as the right to vote," Wintour says in the spot. "The time is now. Please join me in supporting marriage equality for all New Yorkers."

The spot created headlines in fashion and GLBT publications such as LDNfashion.com and Towleroad.

Wintour's own publication also carried an item on the video.

"Wintour is the latest in a long list of politically-minded US stars to endorse the campaign," a May 17 Vogue.com item reported, "from Vogue cover girl Julianne Moore and designer Kenneth Cole, to the New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors have also publically endorsed the proposal.

"Current New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is hoping to pass gay marriage legislation, with a vote anticipated before the end of June," the article added.

"Ms. Wintour is a no-nonsense perfectionist who embraces basic fairness with her trademark elegance and humanity," the HRC's Brian Ellner said in a press release. "As the preeminent voice in the global fashion industry and a publishing icon, Anna Wintour represents the best of New York. She knows the difference between a passing fad and an enduring brand. Equality is part of the New York brand."

"Considered to be the most powerful woman in fashion, Anna Wintour has served as American Vogue's editor-in-chief since 1988," the release notes. " She is also the subject of the 2009 documentary film 'The September Issue,' which follows Wintour and her staff through the production of the September 2007 issue of Vogue. She is known for her support of young designers, and admired for her keen eye for new fashion trends."

The release noted that acceptance of GLTBs and their families continues to trend.

"A recent poll released by the Siena Research Institute shows public opinion continues to trend toward marriage equality in New York State with a record high of 58 percent support and a record low of 36 percent opposition."

The series of short videos has generated widespread interest, especially with the recent addition of a spot contributed by New York Rangers star Sean Avery. Up until Avery's participation in the series of video spots, "One type of New York celebrity was conspicuously absent: the athlete," reported the New York Times on May 7.

Avery's video message stands out in a sporting world still stereotyped as homophobic.

"No active male player in a major American team sport has declared his homosexuality, and homosexual slurs remain in use to insult opponents and officials," the Times noted.

"The places I've played and lived the longest have been in West Hollywood, Calif., when I played for the L.A. Kings, and when I moved to New York, I lived in Chelsea for the first four years," the hockey star told the New York Times. "I certainly have been surrounded by the gay community. And living in New York and when you live in L.A., you certainly have a lot of gay friends."

Avery told the newspaper that he thought his gay friends and their families should be treated the same way heterosexual families are.

"Maybe I can help, and I jumped at this opportunity," he said.

Former president Bill Clinton also generated headlines when he wrote a statement in support of marriage equality that the HRC released earlier this month.

"Our nation's permanent mission is to form a 'more perfect union' deepening the meaning of freedom, broadening the reach of opportunity, strengthening the bonds of community," Clinton wrote, fifteen years after putting his signature to the so-called "Defense of Marriage" Act, a federal law that excludes gay and lesbian families from any form of federal recognition or protections.

"That mission has inspired and empowered us to extend rights to people previously denied them," Clinton's statement continued. "Every time we have done that, it has strengthened our nation. Now we should do it again, in New York, with marriage equality."

The marriage equality campaign has also received support from the other end of the ideological spectrum. Barbara Bush, daughter of former President George W. Bush, appeared in a video spot earlier this year. Her appearance in the spot, released on Feb. 1, became an instant sensation, and raised Ms. Bush's profile in the mainstream as well as in the GLBT community.

"The New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign is centered on video testimonials from New Yorkers who support the right of same-sex couples to marry," the May 17 HRC release said. "To date, HRC has released videos from Anna Wintour, Larry King, Sean Avery, Julianna Margulies, Bill T. Jones, Sam Waterston, Christopher Meloni, Mario Batali, David Chang, Tom Colicchio, Lucy Liu, Bill Bratton and Rikki Klieman, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Former New York City Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins, Russell Simmons, Mark and Sunrise Ruffalo, John Slattery, Joan Rivers, Barbara Bush, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Fran Drescher, Moby, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Julianne Moore and Kenneth Cole--with more to follow in the coming weeks."