Ellen DeGeneres invites New Zealand MP for gay-rainbow speech

New Zealand has had several moments of pride (gone viral) since a same-sex marriage bill was approved.

To quickly recap: New Zealand parliament voted to approve the marriage amendment bill 77 to 44. After the final reading, parliament broke into song, singing a traditional Maori love song. Needless to say, the video became a social media sensation.

But that was just the beginning.

By now, you're probably also seen New Zealand National MP Maurice Williamson's comedic yet incisive speech in support of same-sex marriage. The 62-year-old married government minister delivered the speech, which dismantled arguments against gay marriage with humour, on April 17 after the bill was passed.

Since then, numerous celebrities tweeted Williamson's speech, and it caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, who has invited him to appear on her U.S. talk show.

Williamson initially turned down the offer, as it went against ministerial rules. However, Prime Minister John Key has approved the appearance as long as any flights or accommodations are declared on parliament's register of pecuniary interests and any appearance fees are donated to charity.

In case you missed it (or even if you want to watch it again), here's Williamson's speech:

Queer culture bonus points: Maurice is the title of an E.M. Forster novel, published posthumously in 1971, about British gay lovers in the 20^th century. The story follows Maurice Hall, who, at the beginning of the novel, feels alienated by the concept of marriage to a woman. It was adapted into a 1987 feature film starring James Wilby, Hugh Grant, and Rupert Graves.