Actor James Duke Mason, the son of
singer Belinda Carlisle, has launched a campaign that urges gay
actors to leave the closet. Mason premiered his Trailblazers
campaign with a 3-minute-40-second video and says he expects Perez
Hilton, Sandra Bernhard, Chad Allen, Mike Manning, David Moretti and
more celebrities to record similar videos.
In his video, Mason says he's played
his part to change Hollywood but adds: “It's going to take a
movement to beat the naysayers who would rather we remain silent,
scared and afraid.”
“The power players in L. A. have
managed to maintain the status quo by using cynicism and fear as
tools, but I have always believed in the idea that cynicism and fear
can be overcome by idealism and hope.”
“I'm James Duke Mason and I want to
be a trailblazer,” he concludes. “Join me and together let's
change Hollywood. And by doing so, change the world.” (The video
is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Mason told GregInHollywood.com's
Greg Hernandez that the campaign aims to “help create a more
accepting environment for openly gay entertainers in Hollywood.”
Last year, Belinda
Carlisle told gay glossy The
Advocate
that she recorded a video in support of gay marriage because she
wanted the best for her son, who came out at the age of 15.