Today Show Petitioned to Include Gays in its Wedding Contest

More than 500 people have signed a petition calling for NBC's Today Show to include gay and lesbian couples in its "Modern Day Wedding Contest."

The contest gives away a full-paid wedding, to be broadcast on the show in October, as well as an all-expense paid honeymoon. However, the show's producers said that it same-sex couples are not eligible to enter the contest because the wedding must legally take place in New York, a state that does extend legal marriage equality.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation says that 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.”

Maybe the all-powerful Facebook will get in on the act and start a campaign!