The Chelsea Clinton Marriage Equality Video NBC Didn’t Want You To See

In never-before-seen video, the former First Daughter calls for “basic fairness and civil rights” in pushing for marriage equality ballot measures.

Video available at: http://buzzfeed-video1.s3.amazonaws.com/video/2013/02/21/Chelsea_Promo_B-480x270.mp4.

WASHINGTON — In a video Chelsea Clinton recorded — but that never ran — in support of marriage equality ballot measures in 2012, the former First Daughter said “one of the most important issues on any ballot this November is equality for gay Americans.”

Clinton recorded the video to support the 2012 marriage equality ballot measures in Maine, Maryland, and Washington and to oppose the Minnesota marriage amendment pending there, but it never ran because NBC News — where Clinton works as a special correspondent — “scuttled” the campaign.

BuzzFeed reported the existence of the videos in November 2012; it obtained one of the videos this week.

In the video for TheFour.com, Clinton says, “I believe that everyone should have the freedom to marry the person they love.”

Clinton had supported efforts toward the legislative passage of marriage equality in New York, going so far as to attend and participate in a phone-banking effort in Manhattan before the legislature approved the bill in June 2011. She did not take a public position on the four states’ ballot measure in 2012, despite having prepared the video, and sources familiar with the ads told BuzzFeed back in 2012 that it was NBC that prevented the videos from being shown. Clinton is an employee of NBC’s news division, and her support for marriage equality was deemed a conflict of interest.

In the video, Clinton also said, “I hope you’ll join me and others who care about basic fairness and civil rights by doing all you can to support these efforts no matter where you live. The outcome in these four states is so important.”

TheFour.com was an effort launched by Andre Banks, Ryan Davis, Brian Ellner and Richard Socarides to draw national attention in social media to all of the state efforts. Although the Clinton message never ran, TheFour.com claimed its other efforts reached more than 3,000,000 voters in the four states with ballot measures on Election Day alone.

Messages to a representative of Clinton seeking comment about the video were not returned, and NBC did not immediately return a request for comment.