Big
Brother winner Benjamin Norris, with host Sonia Kruger, jumps for joy after
winning the show's $250,000 cash prize. But the real surprise was about to
come. Picture: Paul Broben Source: Supplied
Andrew Fenton, News Limited Network, reports
It was the proposal that made headlines across the nation.
Big Brother winner Benjamin Norris - after claiming the major prize of $250,000 and a new car - got down on bended knee, pulled out a diamond passed down from his great-grandfather and asked for his partner Ben Williams' hand in marriage.
It was a touching moment, one that brought the issue of gay marriage into the lounge rooms of the 1.5 million Australian viewers who tuned in to watch the Big Brother finale on Channel Nine.
But this was a proposal for a wedding that will never happen.
Under Australian law, the best the couple can hope for is a civil union
after the federal Parliament delivered a crushing defeat of proposed changes to
the gay marriage laws in September.
Despite his public proposal, Norris, 32, insists he does not want to be
a poster boy for gay marriage.
"This is not a protest, it's not a political statement," he
said after the finale. "This is me living my life and being honest about
myself."
Both Norris and Williams said the proposal was more a public declaration
of love than a political manifesto and they're both perfectly content with a
civil union in front of family and friends (though Williams believes there
shouldn't be any barriers for marriage equality).
"I don't know if a Big Brother's contestant's opinion on it all (changing gay marriage laws) comes to being very relevant. What is relevant is someone going on Big Brother and being in love and saying to their partner Will You Marry Me?"
It's a much different situation in the US where gay advocates say this week's election was a tipping point in the battle for marriage equality and are readying themselves to take advantage of what they believe is an unstoppable cultural and generational shift in their favour.
Voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington state have approved same-sex marriage in local referendums on social issues.
It is the first time gay marriage has been backed by popular vote despite 35 such polls elsewhere in the US.
Gay marriage is permitted in six states, but those laws were passed by legislators or by courts.
So will Norris's on-air proposal signify a cultural shift in Australian attitudes towards marriage?
In an open letter to Julia Gillard yesterday, News Ltd journalist Matt Young urged Australian politicians to take a strong stance on gay marriage.
The Prime Minister made her position clear months ago when she declared Barack Obama's support for same-sex marriage would not change her view on the issue.
"I've made my mind up," she told ABC radio. "My view's not changing, I believe what I believe."
The Big Brother on-air proposal, Matt Young wrote, had left him unmoved.
"It's a nice gesture, but unless they move to Buenos Aires, it's not going to happen," he said.
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