Skype Equality: Gay Couple Gets Married in Dallas By Officiant In D.C.

Leave it to those crafty gays to use technology and loopholes to make legalized gay marriage a reality in a red state like Texas. Dallas natives Mark Reed and Dante Walkup applied for a marriage certificate in Washington D.C., where gay marriage is legal, but wanted to exchange their vows in their home state surrounded by friends and family. For the marriage to be recognized, it had to be performed by an official authorized by the district. The couple found Officiant Sheila Reid-Alexander and arranged for her to perform the ceremony via Skype. Reed and Walkup stood in a conference room full of loved ones at the W Hotel in Dallas while Reid-Alexander appeared on a big screen from a similar room at a W Hotel in D.C.

What is being called an “e-marriage” is similar to a proxy wedding, where one partner can't be present. While there is no provision against an e-marriage in D.C., the couple realizes the validity of their union could be challenged in court. With Reed being a board member of LGBT action group GetEQUAL, the couple have begun working with legal experts and legislators in states that have approved gay marriage to introduce statutes addressing the practice. They see it as a more convenient and inexpensive way for same-sex couples all over the country to be married legally.