NBC’s Today Show is taking applications for its “Modern Day Wedding Contest,” and will award the winning couple with a live wedding broadcast in October and an all-expense paid honeymoon — unfortunately, the network rules deny gay and lesbian couples from participating.
The contest gives away a full-paid wedding, to be broadcast on the show in October, as well as an all-expense paid honeymoon.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) contacted the Today Show last week to find out why its application listed only “bride” and “groom” as options for applicants since Today welcomed same-sex couples to apply to its Hometown Wedding Contest in years past.
NBC originally sent GLAAD this statement regarding the 2010 Modern Day Wedding Contest:
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
“For the TODAY show wedding, the couple must be able to be legally married in New York, which is where the wedding will take place.”
According to GLAAD, the network is “mistakenly equating the marriage license with the wedding celebration.” A statement from the organization points out that New York recognizes marriages for same-sex couples performed outside of the state, including nearby states Vermont and Connecticut.
“Today Show’s ‘Modern Wedding Contest’ should recognize what most fair-minded Americans have already concluded – a wedding celebrates love and commitment, whether the spouses are straight or gay,” GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said in a statement. “NBC should stop denying gay and lesbian couples the ability to share their stories of love and commitment and open its wedding contest to all couples.”
