Anna Wintour has kept herself busy since, well, basically forever. The ehas grown her Vogue status She's surpassed the already-ultra-powerful role of Vogue's editor-in-chief by becoming artistic director of Condé Nast as well. Around this time of every year, she's tied up with Andrew Bolton, curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, preparing for the annual Met Gala. And despite her not-so-nice nickname as Nuclear Wintour (yep, that's a play on her icy reputation), Wintour has still found a way to give back. The icon will be auctioning off a pair of her sunglasses to benefit The Trevor Project, a LGBTQ youth suicide prevention hotline.
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The gesture was made possible by Ryan Raftery, the mastermind behind the 2014 musical Ryan Raftery Is the Most Powerful Woman In Fashion, that featured Raftery in his best Wintour drag, parodying Wintour's controversial choice to put the Wests on the cover of the April 2014 issue of Vogue, and it seems Wintour can join in on the laugh when her reputation for entertainment purposes. (That other, fictional account of Wintour's life at the top of the masthead — you know which one we're talking about — may've been a different story.) Raftery's show wrapped in 2014, but the actor's resurrecting it on April 27th and April 28th, with proceeds benefiting The Trevor Project, in response to President Trump's repeal of bathroom protections for transgender students in schools.
But this certainly isn't the first time Wintour has shown her support for the LGBTQ community. Since pretty much the dawn of time, Wintour has been a fervent supporter of gay rights, and has remained vocal about fighting for things like marriage equality, HIV/AIDs awareness, and Dan Savage's global It Gets Better campaign. In 2012, Wintour received the Ally for Equality award from the Human Rights Campaign for her continuous LGBTQ activism.
Raftery spoke with V Magazine about his excitement that Wintour's getting involved. "The wig and sunglasses are the real stars of the show, so the fact that she has donated her iconic Chanels to benefit The Trevor Project is thrilling," he told V. “I'm very happy that the proceeds will benefit this organization so dear to me and necessary to thousands of LGBT youth across the country." All of the earnings from the spectacle later this month will be donated to The Trevor Project, and Wintour has secured a $1,000 gift certificate to Bergdorf Goodman men's for the lucky winner. You can still snag tickets for the NYC show, here, and if you'll be bidding big for those iconic shades, good luck...