Maroubra couple win gay marriage trip
Lauren and Suzanne have won Nova’s breakfast radio Same Sex and the City competition.
The Maroubra duo were voted as Sydney’s most popular gay couple and will now head to New York City via Canada to get married.
PLAY AUDIO: SSATC – Winner announcement
Lauren and Suzanne have been together for six-and-a-half years. They first met in primary school where Suzanne was vice captain in the year above Lauren. Seven years later they made the decision to be together and tell their family and friends. Lauren proposed to Suzanne in Bali last year.
They are planning to celebrate with family and friends later in the year.
“We saw the New York legislation change and wanted to reflect it in some way. We came up with what we think is the best pun title of the year, and it just became too undeniable – we had to do it,” breakfast co-host Scott Dooley told the Star Observer last week.
The competition opened over a week ago and Nova were immediately inundated with entries, but hit a snag when organisers realised that the Australian government is not allowing its citizens to legally enter same-sex unions in New York.
They soon found a way around it, though, and the winning couple’s trip will now include a quick trip to the Canadian state of Ontario, where same-sex couples are free to marry without the express permission of their home countries.
“We were really conscious of not making it your typical FM Radio ‘You’re gay: tell us how many Kylie songs you know and you’ll get to meet Lady Gaga’ kind of thing,” said Dooley.
“We didn’t want it to be seen as us lampooning or making light of a serious issue.”
While Merrick and Dools’ competition is in direct opposition to the government’s stance on same-sex unions, Dooley was hesitant to attach a political element to the stunt.
“This isn’t an overtly political statement in any way shape or form. The debate is raging, particularly amongst people who are, for want of a better word, in our demographic. Younger people are speaking out against the government’s position, and we are reflecting that to a certain extent,” he said.
