On Sunday, September 28, 2025, as part of the ongoing Vogue/Condé Nast Campaign, a group of anti-fur activists staged a peaceful, legal protest outside the home of Brittney McNamara, Features Director of Teen Vogue, in Paxton, MA
The campaign has been calling on Condé Nast and its subsidiaries, including Teen Vogue, to adopt a clear, public fur-free policy, a step many fashion industry leaders have already taken.
Brittney McNamara has built her reputation writing about social justice and youth activism for Teen Vogue, but when the company she works for became the focus of a social justice campaign, her response was telling.
According to official police reports, McNamara falsely claimed during her initial 911 call that activists were “throwing blood” on her property. This claim was later admitted to be untrue. She eventually told police that no blood had been thrown, only that she feared it might happen.
This false report escalated the situation unnecessarily and led to the unjust arrest of a deaf/disabled activist. Police targeted him for using a small plastic horn, after shouting at him to stop, a command he physically could not hear. When the officer was told the activist was deaf disabled, he continued to yell “stop” from behind the activist’s back, which video evidence shows. No attempt to communicate via pen and paper was offered when the activist typed a question on his phone.
In his report, the officer stated that he “would not engage in conversation with someone who cannot understand,” refusing to communicate with the activist who was using a text-to-speech + speech-to-text app. This is deeply concerning and appears discriminatory. Using this app is a fully legitimate and legally recognized way for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to communicate.
McNamara has publicly written about the mental health impacts of incarceration on young people, according to her own bio on Teen Vogue, yet had no issue leveraging her privilege to bring police into a peaceful protest, putting marginalized activists at risk. This contradiction highlights how performative corporate allyship often falls apart when the demands for justice become inconvenient.
After spending several hours in jail, the activist was released on $1,000 bail thanks to a good samaritan. He was unjustly given felony charges. Now, we urgently need to raise funds to reimburse the person who posted bail and to cover upcoming legal fees and attorney costs.
Here’s how you can help:
- Donate to the fundraiser — Every dollar helps cover bail, legal fees, and court expenses.
- Share this post widely — The more visibility we have, the stronger our community support.
When activists are targeted and criminalized for standing up to companies that profit from animal abuse, we must show solidarity. Powerful corporations like Condé Nast will go to great lengths to silence dissent and protect their ties to exploitative industries.
But we refuse to be silenced and we refuse to back down. Solidarity is stronger than censorship and we leave no one behind!
Shameful from Brittney McNamara to file a false police report!