Virgin Group, Gay Marriage
With a soap box that simply reads "Say Something" as the focus of the campaign for the American rollout of Virgin Cola, there are many variations of political statements and silly setups as people get on top to deliver a message.
In this spot set on the California beach in Santa Monica, two middle-aged men, dressed in tuxes atop the box, are married by a woman from the Metropolitan Community Churches.
As a male friend watches, she declares, "Michael and Steven, I pronounce that you are joined together in holy union. May you be blessed your whole lives long. Amen. You may kiss."
The two men -- who are a real couple -- kiss, rice is thrown and people behind the camera cheer.
This is the first commercial in the US where two men kiss. It aired only in New York, LA and San Francisco because Virgin Cola was rolled out in only those cities. Nonetheless, at least one station in each of those most-progressive of cities declined to run the commercial.
Interestingly, another variation of the spot has the rabbi stating, "By the power vested in me..." but it was cut from the audio.
The Virgin company has been interested in the gay market for some time. Virgin Atlantic Airways was the first airline to advertise in American gay media and the company also sponsored NY's annual dragfest, Wigstock, in 1998.
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