REUTERS/Paul Hackett
A same sex couple in Texas wasn’t letting a silly thing like state law keep them from marrying one another.
A board member for the LGBT group GetEQUAL, Mark Reed, found a way to marry his long-term partner Dante Walkup in their home city of Dallas–despite the fact that gay marriage is not recognized under Texas law.
(See a visual history of the gay-rights movement.)
Reed arranged for the Dallas wedding to be officiated via Skype by someone in Washington, D.C. where same sex marriage is legal. Though the couple did have to travel to D.C. before the ceremony to register for a license and then wait to receive it in the mail afterwards, they both felt it was worth it to be married in front of their family and friends.
(See TIME’s spotlight on gay marriage.)
“It was very important that all of our family came,” Reed said. “It was the first time they actually met, even though we’ve been together 10 years. If we had to go to D.C., there’s no way we could have had the people there who we wanted to be there.”
(See Gay Marriage in the Heartland.)
While there are no specific laws or statutes against “e-marriages,” Reed is working with legislators to find a way to cement the possibility of gay couples having an out-of-state wedding in your own state via the Internet. (via the Dallas Voice)