Fri 12 Sep 2014 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Two straight men have married in a radio wedding punctuated with jokes about ‘reach arounds’ and ‘coming together’, including a streaker and with ‘Darth Vader’ as the celebrant. Dunedin friends, 24-year-old teacher Matt McCormick and 23-year-old engineering student Travis McIntosh, have become husbands so they can win tickets to the Rugby World Cup. Their wedding, organised by radio station The Edge, was held at Eden Park this morning. The ceremony was MC’d by sports journalist James McOnie whose quips included “even though they are not gay I believe their love will reach around New Zealand and the world,” before making jokes about reach arounds. Other jokes included “It’s just a couple of genuine mates willing to go the full 80. That’s a rugby term, not a position in the karma sutra”, “Can I get an amen? Can I get a two men?” and that they would “Come together in marriage but not in other ways.” He also said one of the grooms was motioning slitting his own throat at the thought of sharing a bed and that “giving rings sounds a bit rude” and the wedding was “a bit weird.” Legalise Love, which among the groups which campaigned for marriage equality, says the competition is insulting, while marriage equality champion Louisa Wall says two straight male friends getting married, as a joke, “is making a mockery of the institution of marriage”. Numerous GayNZ.com readers have also panned the contest.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 12th September 2014 - 7:50am