NEW ZEALAND: LGBT Groups Angry Over Radio Station's "Gay Marriage" Stunt

Two heterosexual men will marry in New Zealand tomorrow as part of a radio station stunt that will earn them a trip to the Rugby World Cup in Britain. LGBT groups are furious.

A celebrant would make the union legally binding and Crowd Goes Wild television presenter James McOnie would be MC. The pair said their wedding vows would touch on their friendship and recall their time playing rugby together at King's High School in Dunedin. They were undecided if they would take hyphenated surnames and who would walk down the aisle. The couple's wedding song is Cruisin', by Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow. Mr McIntosh said he thought the marriage would last at least two years. Otago University Students' Association Queer Support co-ordinator Neill Ballantyne, of Dunedin, said the wedding was an"insult" because marriage equality was a"hard fought" battle for gay people. "Something like this trivialises what we fought for." The competition promoted the marriage of two men as something negative,"as something outrageous that you'd never consider", Mr Ballantyne said. LegaliseLove Aotearoa Wellington co-chairman Joseph Habgood said the competition attacked the legitimacy of same-sex marriages. "The point of this competition is that men marrying each other is still something they think is worth having a laugh at.

Two hundred straight same-sex couples reportedly entered the contest.