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Skype Marriage In Texas Annulled

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A same-sex couple in Texas thought that they found a loophole to the state's ban on gay marriage by having a Washington D.C. based officiant perform their marriage via Skype. Congress.org reports that the couple Mark Reed and Dante Walkup walked down the aisle earlier this year in a Dallas hotel while on a teleconference call  with Sheila Alexander-Reid, who officiated their wedding from the nation's capital. Prior to the wedding ceremony in Dallas, the couple had traveled to Washington D.C. to pick up a marriage license.

Yet Mark Reed and Dante Walkup recently received news from the D.C. Marriage Bureau that their wedding ceremony via Skype was no valid and their marriage is to be annulled. Apparently, a marriage ceremony in Washington D.C. must be performed within the District of Columbia with all parties in physical attendance. Mark Reed and Dante Walkup will now either find Texas family law attorneys to challenge the judge's decision or they will travel back to D.C. to be officially married.

It's clear that the Skype marriage between Mark Reed and Dante Walkup was not just about getting married, but was also a form of protest of bans on gay marriage in the state of Texas and across the country. The couple said that they knew there was a possibility of their marriage getting challenged.

"We got so many messages from people saying that we inspired them," Mark Reed said on Congress.org. "I'm sure there are going to be a lot of disappointed people out there."

Related Resources:

  • What Rules Apply if a Marriage Turns out to be Invalid? (FindLaw)
  • Locate Texas Family Law Attorneys (FindLaw)
  • Gay Marriage Legislation (FindLaw's LawBrain)

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