Back in 1986, Frank Marino was a 22 year old strip performer just getting his career as a female impersonator off the ground. At the time he was getting noticed for his act in "An Evening at La Cage" at the Riviera, especially for his impersonation of Joan Rivers.

Things were going along smoothly, until he was slapped with a $5 million lawsuit by Rivers. She didn't like Marino using her jokes in "La Cage."

Marino settled out of court by promising not to use Rivers' material, and ever since they've been "very good friends," according to Marino. He has appeared numerous times on her various television programs. How well that friendship will hold up now that Marino has signed on to appear as Rivers in a humorous promotion campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is unknown. Rivers has blamed PETA for an incident late last year in which her sable coat was marred by a paint-wielding woman. PETA has denied the accusation, saying it does not endorse the tactic in its campaign against the use of animals in laboratory testing and for making furs.

But PETA decided Rivers was a natural target for its anti-fur campaign, and sought out Marino to promote the cause. Marino's photos are slated to to appear in PETA ads and posters in late March. Marino was "an obvious choice," says Dan Mathews, director of campaigns for PETA. "Parody is one of the most effective forms of fighting for a social cause. and she (Rivers) is ripe for satire. We try to use parody and humor to get the point across." Marino has done a series of photos in which he appears as Rivers wearing a spray-painted fur coat and accompanied by a dog that bears a striking resemblance to Rivers' dog Spike. While the photos poke fun at Rivers, Marino doesn't think they treat her roughly.

"I will not do anything to defame Joan Rivers," Marino says "She's very good to animals. Spike lives better than we do. I know she treats animals very well." Marino doesn't have anything to say about Rivers for wearing fur - he's used fur in his act in the past, even posing in a fur coat on the cover of his autobiography, "His Majesty, the Queen." "I'm not going to do anything to get her angry. I'm not against Joan Rivers," Marino says. But he disagrees with Rivers for using fur. Since he was contacted by PETA earlier this year and read its literature, he has stopped using fur in "La Cage." "I can't be promoting furs in my act and working for PETA," Marino says. He hasn't gone the total PETA route, however - hasn't crossed over to vegetarianism.

Marino say he carefully examined PETA's position on issues before agreeing to be its spokesperson. "I've always been a person with my own causes. This is something I really had to research first." As part of his duties with PETA, Marino will host the organization's annual "Fur is a Drag" show on a March 31, featuring drag queens in New York City. The show is an educational effort to draw attention to PETA causes.

The show, and other PETA efforts, has gotten the attention of young people, says Mathews. "Most people, especially young people, are disgusted by the use of fur as a luxury item," he says. But the idea has been slower to gain acceptance among older people. Wearing fur "is an older generation thing," Mathews says.

Mathews hopes to bring the "Fur is a Drag" show, complete with New York area drag queens and host Marino, to Las Vegas later this year. No date or venue has been set. Las Vegas has gotten behind anti-fur efforts, Marino says. "In general, Las Vegas has changed a lot of showgirls wearing fur to wearing fake fur," he says.

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