Actor Ethan Hawke and his wife Ryan have recorded a video urging New Yorkers to support the legalization of gay marriage.

“Our relationship is recognized by the government,” Ethan, 40, says in the 31-second ad, “but some of our friends don't have the same opportunity.”

“So please join us in fighting for marriage equality in New York,” Ryan says.

“Contact your state legislators and tell them you are a New Yorker for marriage equality,” she adds. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)

The Hawkes' 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.

Governor Andrew Cuomo recently pledged he would spearhead a new effort to legalize gay marriage in the Empire State later this year.