Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has
recorded a video urging New Yorkers to support the legalization of
gay marriage.
“Hi, I'm Russell Simmons,” the Def
Jam co-creator says in the ad. “I'm a New Yorker. And I'm a
long-time supporter of marriage equality.”
“I'm happy we're coming to a time
when we can make a change,” he says.
“Make your voice heard,” Simmons
adds, raising his voice. “Stand up now for marriage equality.”
(The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Simmons' ad is part of an ongoing
campaign that features prominent celebrities and politicians. The
campaign, backed by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's
largest gay advocate, has previously featured singer-songwriter
Moby, actresses Fran Drescher and Julianne
Moore, fashion designer Kenneth Cole, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe,
the widow of tennis great Arthur Ashe, and New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The campaign created a stir when it
recruited Barbara Bush, the daughter of former president George W.
Bush, to record a video.