Marriage of two straight men for radio competition angers gay rights group

[shaayecanaan]

The marriage of two heterosexual New Zealand men as part of a radio show promotion to win tickets to next year’s Rugby World Cup in London has been criticised by gay rights and conservative groups.

Travis McIntosh, a 23-year-old engineering student from Otago university, and Matt McCormick, a 24-year-old teacher at Musselburgh school in Dunedin, were married at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.

About 60 family members travelled to Auckland to watch the two best mates marry to win a trip of a lifetime. The marriage was live-streamed by the Edge radio station.

“It’s official folks, Travis and Matt have just said ‘I do’! Congrats to the happy couple!” the station tweeted.

Neill Ballantyne, the co-ordinator of Otago University Students Association Queer Support, said the wedding was an insult because marriage equality was a hard-fought battle for gay people. Same-sex marriage became legal in New Zealand in 2013.

McIntosh told the Otago Daily Times he thought the marriage would last about two years.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/12/marriage-two-straight-men-radio-competition-angers-gay-rights-group

[AverageJoe90]

1. Well, I dunno what to think, really.

I do sympathize with the LGBT community of N.Z. on this: as in nearly every other nation, the battle for marriage equality, has been a truly challenging hard-fought battle, and I can understand why some might be miffed by two straight dudes marrying. On the other hand, though, I doubt it was meant to offend anybody; the least the station can do is apologize and try to open some dialogue. Just my two cents.

[yeoman6987]

2. Since when are two straight men forbidden to marry?

Good for them. Enjoy the trip.

[geek tragedy]

3. those heterosexuals are trying to destroy the institution of marriage! nt

[uppityperson]

4. People get married for all sorts of reasons. Love, finances, dental insurance, just because. There

are no requirements to be sexually intimate, to procreate, to have to have any sort of emotional bond. It will be interesting, seeing what people talk about about this.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. The sanctity of marriage.

Seems rugby tickets are enough. I wonder what they would do for a Klondike bar?

[shaayecanaan]

8. They actually look pretty good together

[Behind the Aegis]

10. Yes, how quaint and charming.

Hope they enjoy those rugby tickets.

[shaayecanaan]

12. Not just rugby tickets, its the rugby world cup, mate

lets not sell this short.

[Behind the Aegis]

13. OH, my bad..THAT makes it more respectable.

[JI7]

6. i can understand where the gay rights groups are coming from

after all the bs arguments to prevent gays from having equal rights some heteros use it for their own entertainment purposes.

[uppityperson]

7. Well put.

[Behind the Aegis]

9. and out of the park it goes...

[shaayecanaan]

11. If it weren't for this kind of nonchalance gay marriage would never have gotten passed

gay marriage didnt get passed because the vast majority of straight people felt passionate about gay marriage. It passed because the majority of people felt it was no skin off their nose, so who gives a shtuff? Might as well let them get married. The same demographic that probably finds this amusing.

I suppose at least social conservatives and gay rights groups are united in their outrage, which makes for strange bedfellows. Probably not as strange as these guys though.

[JI7]

14. as i said, it's all about what makes heteros happy

[shaayecanaan]

15. I wouldn't say happy, more like faintly amused...

I suppose its a sign of equality when gay marriage is treated with the same degree of irreverence and contempt that straight marriage is.

[JI7]

16. i would say it's more a sign of ignorance towards certain people

[shaayecanaan]

17. Christian groups probably thought the same about the Life of Brian

Using a revered 2000-year old belief system for entertainment purposes. Scandalous!

Have they done or said anything homophobic? Probably not, a homophobe is an unlikely candidate for entering into a same-sex marriage.

Have they done or said anything mean-spirited about any person or group of people? No.

Is it mockery? Perhaps, but there's no holds barred in relation to either gay marriage or straight marriage in that regard.

[theHandpuppet]

18. Thank you

Nailed it.