Gay Comedy Legends Will Marry, To Say A Big FU To Archaic Aussie Marriage Law
Fresh from tearing up Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) and each being nominated for a Barry Award, comedians Zoë Coombs Marr and Rhys Nicholson have announced they are getting married.
Err? Yay? Huh?
But save the date because this is no regular wedding. The queer comedians will marry at Festival Club this Friday to highlight marriage inequality; as neither of the comedians can lawfully marry their own same sex partners because the Australian Marriage Act is discriminatory legislative garbage.
Thrilled to announce after years of not being in love, @rhysnicholson & I are getting married! Because we can. ❤️???????? https://t.co/ORdUfGn5Zm
— Zoe Coombs Marr (@zoecoombsmarr) April 12, 2016
The point the pair are trying to drive home is the lawfulness of a loveless and meaningless heterosexual marriage, over same-sex marriage. Coombs Marr said the event was intended to highlight the absurdity of marriage law in Australia.
“It’s an ultimate subversion – it’s just ridiculous,” Coombs Marr told ArtsHub. “And it’s so boring – it’s boring that we’re still talking about marriage equality when there are far more important things that need to be dealt with as well, but this one just seems to be an ongoing sticking point and it’s really tired.
“The whole thing really is a farce – it’s just a farce. So we just thought, once we’d had the idea, “Oh well, we’ve got to do it.” So then we called our [respective] partners and told them we’re engaged.”
Marriage is between two surprised Barry nominees, to the exclusion of all others. https://t.co/Bj3aroC5ed
— Rhys Nicholson (@rhysnicholson) April 12, 2016
The nuptials will include some surprise guest comedians to perform stand-up, sing them down the aisle and to even join them as flower girls in their pseudo-wedding party.
Funds raised from the pair’s wedding will go towards national LGBTI youth advocacy organisation Minus18.
The ceremony will take place this Friday 15 April at Melbourne International Comedy Festival Club at Max Watts at 11.30pm. Tickets $25 at the door.