In New Zealand, two straight men got married simply to win tickets for next year’s Rugby World Cup, to be held in London, international media report. Travis McIntosh, a 23-year-old engineering student, and Matt McComick, 24-year-old got married at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
The marriage was live-streamed by Edge radio station, and about 60 family members travelled to Auckland to watch the two best mates marry to win a trip of a lifetime. The two men met at Pirates rugby club in Dunedin when they were six, and have been friends ever since; however both man lead a heterosexual life.
The marriage however, did not go down so well with international gay rights groups. Neil Ballnatyne, coordinator of an LGBT rights group in Otago described the wedding as an insult, saying that marriage equality was a hard-fought battle for gay people. Same-sex marriage was legalised in 2013 in New Zealend.
One of the two men, Travis McIntosh said that they never intended to insult anyone. “We are here to do our own thing and travel our own path; it’s just seeing how far two good mates would go to win a trip to the Rugby World Cup.” He added that both families agreed on the decision of both men to get married.
More than 200 men applied for the ‘Love You Man’ contest, run by youth FM station The Edge. The completion was open only to heterosexual man, and has had divided opinion since the day it was launched in August. The radio station has a history of promoting strange marriages it seems.
Rodney Croome, national director of Australian Marriage Equality said he was not treating the matter very seriously. "Heterosexual couples have used marriage to win competitions for years, just look at The Bachelor and Farmer Wants a Wife," Mr Croome said.
Meanwhile, conservatives lobby groups in New Zealand described the radio stunt as ironic. "This competition makes a mockery of marriage, but so did the redefining of marriage”, director of lobby group Family First said, describing gay marriage as ‘an arrogant act of cultural vandalism’.