Calvin Klein has officially ushered in its “transqueer lesbian” era with the creation of a giant Jari Jones billboard in Manhattan.
The famous brand associated with names such as Mark Wahlberg, Kate Moss, Zoe Saldana and Joan Smalls over the decades is celebrating Pride Month with the hashtag #PROUDINMYCALVINS, along with work by nine LGBTQ models.
The activist celebrated this week by popping a bottle of champagne in front of the ad while multiple outlets celebrated the company’s first black transqueer model.
“Without a doubt, this is a powerful moment not just for Jones, but for all non-conforming Black folks out there,” CNN reported Friday.
“It has been such an honor and pleasure to sit in my most authentic self and present imagery of a body that far to often has been demonized, harassed, made to feel ugly and unworthy and even killed,” the model wrote Monday for 90,000 Instagram followers. “I present this image, myself and all that my body stands for to my community and chosen family, in hope that they see themselves more clearly than ever and further realize that they are worthy of celebration, of compassion, of love and gratitude.”
CNN noted that Calvin Klein’s 2020 Pride campaign is its largest ever and includes partnerships with OutRight Action International and its COVID-19 LGBTIQ+ Global Emergency Fund.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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