American Pie for American Vogue

Okay. I was hoping to have an answer to my questions on “newness.” Please know that I am still pondering these deep mysteries.

Meanwhile .. I am unsure what to think about PETA’s latest actions. On Saturday afternoon, a protestor threw a pie in the face of Anna Wintour, editor of the American magazine "Vogue." She was en route to the Chloé show at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris as part of the Spring/Summer 2006 prêt-à-porter collection.

This is a woman whose work at work "Vogue" I have long admired. I am conflicted. I am a staunch supporter of animal rights. I am a proud vegetarian of many years. I also, however, love fashion. I wear leather because it’s a virtual necessity; I’m a gay male in America. I even own (and often sport) a leather jacket.

Now, I support the eating slaughter of animals if it is done humanely (much like kosher meat) for the preservation of human life. I abstain from meat because I believe that such actions are not necessitated; I am a privileged American with healthy and sufficient alternatives.

What to think? Wintour hasn’t even allowed animal rights groups to purchase ads in her magazine, while pro-fur advertisements abound. Does her preference amount to censorship? This is an issue that should not be overlooked. Do not animals feel pain, have parents, experience emotions such as loss and disorientation?

I feel bad for her. I feel for the animals. I feel for those who love fur. I feel for those with the courage to humiliate those who humiliate. I feel for the confused. Maybe I just have an excess of feelings for everyone. No, I’m just gay.