2009-11-09 19:13:01 -

DENVER, COLORADO -- (Marketwire) -- 11/09/09 -- Editor's note: There is a video associated with this Press Release.



Interactive Male, the most popular gay chatline in America, together with sponsors Instinct Magazine, Nasty Pig daywear/playwear and BigMuscle.com, today announced the winners in Interactive Male's Big Gay Kiss Contest : .



The contest was launched in April of this year to raise awareness and funds for Marriage Equality USA, in support of legally recognized marriage for everyone, whatever their gender identity or sexual orientation. Gay men across North America were encouraged to submit an original video of two men kissing for their chance to win the $10,000 grand prize, with photo entries eligible for monthly webcam awards. With Interactive Male donating $5 for every video submission and $1 for every photo, a total of $4600 will be donated to Marriage Equality USA.



The contest closed October 31, and this week, a panel of judges selected 11 winners based on originality, creativity, composition, sexiness and fun.



"We were so impressed by the quality of submissions," said Shantel Shave, PR Manager at Interactive Male. "There is very real emotion shared in the videos, and a powerful sense of a community working together to enact change. We had over 2800 video and photo entries. More than 126,000 people have visited the site. We received videos from as far away as Germany-men who knew they weren't eligible for prizes but wanted to show their support. Interactive Male is incredibly proud to have played a role in raising awareness for such an important cause."



"The outpouring of support is truly inspirational," said Molly McKay, Media Director, Marriage Equality USA. "With greater numbers of people working together toward ending discrimination, we know we can accomplish what truly is the inevitable: true equality for same-sex couples. A huge congratulations to the winners and our sincerest thanks to Interactive Male and everyone who supported the contest."



The grand prize winner, " True Love in Love Park : ," was submitted by Jason Druss of Philadelphia, PA, who will receive $10,000. The video depicts two men meeting and sharing a kiss in a public park, and the reactions of real passers-by during the filming.



"I wanted to show a beautiful, compassionate portrayal of true love, with passion and trust," explained Jason of his winning entry. "Too many people have a problem with homosexuality. I wanted to challenge this issue by filming the most natural occurrence on earth-love-at one of the most public, prestigious locations in Philadelphia: Love Park. Some people gave us hideous looks, throwing negativity and hate, but not one could stop us from accomplishing our goal of documenting partnership between two people."



Four first runners-up round out the major winners, each taking home $1,000:



" Lights, Camera GAY! : " by Brett Maier, Los Angeles, CA


" A California Kiss! : " by Patrick McPheron, Los Angeles, CA


" The Gay Comic Geek and Steve: 6 Years Together : " by Paul Staffelbach, Miami, FL


" A Kiss in Three Parts : " by Bradley Benninger, Peterborough, ON


Honorable mentions and a $250 gift certificate to giveanything.com go to:



" The Garden of Love : " by Marcelo Vinces, Boston, MA


" Big Gay Kiss : " by John Cerna, New York, NY


" The Proposal : " by Jerami Brown, New York, NY


" A Wedding Kiss! : " by Drew Searing, San Diego, CA


" A Kiss is a Kiss : " by Patrick Gallagher, Ottawa, ON


" Kings of the Mountain : " by Ryan DePesa, Los Angeles, CA


The winning videos and all video and photos entries can be viewed at www.biggaykiss.com :


About Interactive Male


Interactive Male : is the world's most popular gay men's chatline. Connecting thousands of guys every day for over 15 years, Interactive Male leads the gay dating industry with innovative features like gay video chat : and the only gay Spanish chatline : anywhere. With local gay phone dating lines in over 750 cities in North America and the UK, men always find what they want, where they want. Interactive Male is a proud sponsor of the GLBT community. For more information on Interactive Male's Big Gay Kiss Contest, or to arrange an interview, please contact Shantel Shave at the number below.



About Marriage Equality USA


Marriage Equality USA : is an all-volunteer, national non-profit organization whose mission is to secure legally recognized civil marriage equality for all, at the federal and state level, without regard to gender identity or sexual orientation. For more information on Marriage Equality USA, or to arrange an interview, please contact Molly McKay at the number below.



To view the video associated with this press release, please visit the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiukxgT_xaU :



Contacts:
Interactive Male
Shantel Shave
PR Manager
604.629.6055 ext. 3435
shantel dot shave at interactivemale dot com
www.interactivemale.com :

Marriage Equality USA
Molly McKay
Media Director
510.332.0872
media at marriageequality dot org
www.marriageequality.org :