Melanie Nathan – NOV29-2010 - Mark Reed-Walkup and Dante Walkup, of Texas, are the first same-sex couple in the U.S. to use Skype to become legally married. But now their marriage has been ruled unacceptable.
The men, who have been together for more than 10 years wanted to get married, but same-sex marriages are not performed or recognized in Texas. They wanted their wedding to take place in their home town of Dallas, so they did some research and found that they could be married by an officiant in Washington, D.C., via Skype. “We travelled to the District of Columbia in May and went to the marriage bureau and got our licence,” said Reed-Walkup, 51.
The Dallas gay couple who got married via Skype with the help of a DC pastor has had their marriage ruled invalid because it did not take place within the District. From a letter sent to their DC-based pastor:
“The return is invalid because it has come to the attention of the court that the subject contracting parties to the marriage and you, the officiant, did not all personally participate in a marriage ceremony performed within the jurisdictional and territorial limits of the District of Columbia,” the letter reads. Alexander-Reid also received a fresh marriage license from the court. Alexander-Reid could use it to re-officiate a Reed-Walkup ceremony, should they choose to marry again in D.C., this time “with all parties . . . in physical attendance.”
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