GLAAD wants “The Today Show” to include same-sex couples in its “Modern Day Wedding Contest”

Personally, I think getting married on a television show is really tacky.

But I do think gay couples should have the opportunity to be as tacky as the straight couples who are vying to have The Today Show pay for and broadcast their wedding ceremony.

But the show hosted by Matt Lauer, Meredith Vierra, Ann Curry and Al Rocker has set up rules that deny committed gay and lesbian couples the ability to participate, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

GLAAD writes on its blog that it “contacted the network last week to find out why its application listed only “bride” and “groom” as options for applicants since the Today Show welcomed same-sex couples to apply to its “Hometown Wedding Contest” in years past. Good As You blog alerted us to the application problem.

NBC sent GLAAD this statement regarding the 2010 Modern Day Wedding Contest: “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.”

GLAAD maintains that The Today Show is awarding a wedding celebration, not a marriage license.  If a same-sex couple won the contest, producers and the winning couple could easily work together to ensure that the couple properly obtained and complied with the requirements of a marriage license in one of the license-conferring jurisdictions. The full wedding celebration would then take place on the Today Show.  Given these legal realities, GLAAD has urged NBC to amend its contest rules and allow same-sex couples to apply.

“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,” said Jarrett Barrios, President of the GLAAD.  “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.”

GLAAD is urging people to contact the network if they want to protest. Here is a LINK to the GLAAD site where you can get emails and other information.