Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and his wife went on a media blitz yesterday — opening up about her lesbian past and their 21-year marriage.
“I really prefer to define myself on my own terms and wanted to clear the air a little bit. I own it,” de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, told The Post after appearing on NY1’s ‘Inside City Hall’ last night.
McCray and de Blasio, who is running for mayor, were responding to the bombshell revelation last week that she had written a front-page article on the cover of Essence magazine in 1979 declaring, “I am a lesbian.”
“Sexuality is very fluid, it’s very individual and it’s very personal,” McCray said in the NY1 interview.
She said she was pleased by the “outcry of support,” adding, “I think I’m going to be able to use this as a platform to go out and do a lot of good.”
Earlier, the couple appeared on Fox 5’s “Good Day New York.” She wore a yellow dress and he donned a yellow power tie.
Both stressed they are in a loving relationship and have two wonderful children.
And they celebrated her lesbian past.
“When I think about how young I was, what the world was like in 1979, I’m proud at what I was able to do. I was able to project my voice and claim my space in the world,” McCray said.
“I hope young people struggling with their identity try to take heart from that. That was 33 years ago. The world has progressed a great deal.”
De Blasio emphasized the couple is in a “monogamous, committed relationship.”
Asked if she was no longer a lesbian, McCray said, “I am married. I have two children. Sexuality is a fluid thing and it’s personal. I don’t even understand the question, quite frankly.”
She said their two children, Chiara and Dante, were “smart” and “hip” and understood her past.
De Blasio said, “I am also proud of Chirlane’s entire life history and, in fact, what she stood up for when it was very hard to do so in 1979.”
He called her coming-out article “very powerful and brave.”
Some political insiders said de Blasio was milking the controversy to increase his exposure as a mayoral candidate.
“He can build name recognition from it. This is the type of issue the media loves,” said political consultant George Arzt.
A top aide to Mayor Bloomberg agreed, applauding the couple for tackling the issue.
“Glad to see Bill de Blasio and Chirlane going on ‘Inside City Hall’ tonight. NYC is about to fall in love with Chirlane — a greater NYer,” tweeted Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson.
Last night, de Blasio insisted he wasn’t exploiting the issue for political gain.
“We’re very proud of who we are and our family. We want to tell people what we’re about,” he said.