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Gay Couple Uses Skype to Legally Marry in Texas

- By - Source : Tom's Guide US

You've heard of a long distance relationship but what about a long distance marriage? And by marriage, we mean the ceremony, not the subsequent relationship.

We all know how useful Skype can be for maintaining relationships that otherwise wouldn't be possible. However, a couple in Texas took things to the next level by getting married over Skype. Though a Skype wedding is pretty remarkable in itself, there's something else extraordinary about this marriage ceremony: It is the first legal same-sex wedding in Texas.

Mark Reed and Dante Walkup had been together ten years when they decided it was high time they tied the knot. Unfortunately, though they wanted nothing more than to get married in their native Texas, theirs is a state that does not legally allow same-sex couples to marry. However, Reed and Walkup were not to be deterred and the two came up with a way to have a legal wedding without flying family and friends to another state.

Jay Morris writes that the couple traveled to Washington D.C. back in May to receive their certificate of marriage. Fast forward five months and the two were married in Texas, with a D.C. official (accompanied by several witnesses) marrying them via Skype.

Check out Mark and Dante's video below.

Own Your Equality - Texas Gay Legal Wedding

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dogman_1234 11/13/2010 8:26 PM
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Startingline13 11/13/2010 8:27 PM
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-8+

Not really sure what skype has to do with this, other than some people being able to watch them over the internet.

coldtortilla 11/13/2010 8:27 PM
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Startingline13 11/13/2010 8:33 PM
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dogman_1234 :
Ummm.... uh...IDK. If I say anything, I will be marked down. Mark me down just because I'm Christian. This is completely wrong.



Who cares what someone's religious values, or thoughts are on it - how about we talk about the tech behind it (hence it being a tech news site)

ecnovaec 11/13/2010 8:49 PM
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dogman_1234 :
Ummm.... uh...IDK. If I say anything, I will be marked down. Mark me down just because I'm Christian. This is completely wrong.



i'm so sorry that you had to find out about this marriage. are you going to be ok? I don't see how you can possibly go on living knowing this happened. Hopefully one day they will ban this type of atrocity from happening!! I mean knowing that someone is married to someone else, but they have the same body parts... OMG THE APOCALYPSE IS HAPPENING!

exodite 11/13/2010 9:02 PM
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dogman_1234 :
Ummm.... uh...IDK. If I say anything, I will be marked down. Mark me down just because I'm Christian. This is completely wrong.


I have a hard time determining which is worse; your bigotry against gay marriage or your implication that all christians are equally bigoted.

Regardless, wish granted.

Gin Fushicho 11/13/2010 9:09 PM
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I say Congrats on good thinking. =3

megamanx00 11/13/2010 9:10 PM
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That's pretty crazy.

Not fake, but still Gay

:lol:

dallaswits 11/13/2010 9:21 PM
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Ill say this.

Give technology enough time, and it will free the planet from its self imposed ignorance towards those different from ourselves.

I live in Dallas (with my wife and child), and i say, "Congratulations!"

liquidchild 11/13/2010 9:33 PM
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gmarsack 11/13/2010 9:42 PM
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ecnovaec 11/13/2010 9:58 PM
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dogman_1234 :
Itis moral like this that brings our country down.



you're right... this country is heading into the toilet because we aren't enforcing YOUR beliefs on everybody... that makes sense. Who are you to tell others how to live their life? I'm not even gay but I'd gladly marry a man just to piss morons like you off

gti88 11/13/2010 10:15 PM
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I think, in 30 years, it will be possible to marry a robot.

gti88 11/13/2010 10:16 PM
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Just wonder, if Bible forbids marriage with robots.

hoof_hearted 11/13/2010 10:19 PM
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CyberAngel 11/13/2010 10:21 PM
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-7+

Can one really enforce their beliefs to someone else?
Would that even be legal?
Everyone has free speech, those who oppose or support or don't care or...take your pick

Anyway I was wondering if I could get married via Skype in USA/CA (she would be there)
while still living in Finland?

rpgplayer 11/13/2010 11:01 PM
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hoof_hearted :
They should call it something besides 'marriage' (maybe homosexual union or something of that nature), after all marriage is a religious ceremony and defined as such. Next thing you know, they are going to remove the anti-gay parts from the Bible


hoof_hearted :
They should call it something besides 'marriage' (maybe homosexual union or something of that nature), after all marriage is a religious ceremony and defined as such. Next thing you know, they are going to remove the anti-gay parts from the Bible



easiest and more sensible step would be to remove the bible.

thejerk 11/13/2010 11:11 PM
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It's pretty widely accepted by well... anyone other than Evangelical Literalists that Paul's letters to Rome, which are most often quoted when Christians argue homosexuality is a sin, were mostly against the Roman lifestyle at the time. It was full of hedonism and debauchery. It was a way to encourage Christians to lead a more virtuous lifestyle. Screwing everything with (and some things without) a heartbeat was just one of his (many) bullet points.

sinfulpotato 11/13/2010 11:30 PM
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skine 11/13/2010 11:39 PM
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-12+

Ah, the old gay marriage online debate.

I will send a cookie to anyone who can think of an argument that doesn't boil down to one of these:

-"I disagree with heterosexual marriage law."
-"My religion/acquaintance says that it's bad."
-"Eww, gross!"

omnimodis78 11/13/2010 11:43 PM
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hoof_hearted :
They should call it something besides 'marriage' (maybe homosexual union or something of that nature), after all marriage is a religious ceremony and defined as such. Next thing you know, they are going to remove the anti-gay parts from the Bible


You do understand that there are no anti-gay statements in the bible. I'm serious. Those passages which are supposedly "anti-gay" in there are actually mis-translations and contextual in nature. I'm just saying, if you want to use the bible to defend your position, then make sure you educate yourself enough so that you don't come off as a mere sheep following the teachings of hateful and ignorant preachers and cultists (i.e. the pope and his fellow pedophiles).

flaminggerbil 11/13/2010 11:44 PM
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dogman_1234 :
I know what you guys think. I don't hate them for marrying, I hate the fact that they live a poor lifestyle.Hate the sin, love the person.



Well I hate you for being a pathetic excuse for a human being who relies on literature to rule their thoughts and emotions, go die in a fire.
I hope you're Catholic for ironies sake, priests after all have a GREAT reputation with minors and homosexual conduct.

skine 11/13/2010 11:49 PM
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Ah, a good example to start with:

sinfulpotato :
Marriage is for procreation, period.



If marriage is only for procreation, then should we ban straight couples from getting married if one of the partners isn't capable of producing offspring? Should we jail heterosexual couples who don't have children within a certain number of years?

Basically, you're just disagreeing with current heterosexual marriage law in that it allows couples with no intention to procreate to marry. Also, you're missing the personal benefits of marriage as a commitment, as well as the financial and practical legal advantages.

theshonen8899 11/14/2010 12:00 PM
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I think it's great. I also don't understand why two people marrying is anyone else's business.

Anonymous 11/14/2010 12:15 PM
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sinfulpotato - Marriage is for procreation, period.

Fine then. Have all of the heterosexual unions give up their tax, legal, and personal benefits. If you remove everything other than the titles of "Husband and Wife" from marriage, then I doubt gay and lesbian couples would care about the whole deal.

It's the fact that married couples get so many more tangible benefits other than just being able to procreate with one another (in a socially/religiously acceptable fashion anyway; it's not like people can't have sex without being married) that makes homosexual couples strive for equality. For example, if someone's SO is hospitalized and in a coma, but they only allow family to make a decision as for what's best for that person, that means the person that loves them the most cannot do anything for them because they were not allowed to marry. Instead their immediate family (which may not care for their lifestyle and be vindictive about it) are asked what to do instead. Can you honestly say that sounds right?

otacon72 11/14/2010 12:30 PM
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otacon72 11/14/2010 12:32 PM
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dogman_1234 :
Ummm.... uh...IDK. If I say anything, I will be marked down. Mark me down just because I'm Christian. This is completely wrong.



I am Christian and I don't believe in gay marriage but 1) This is a technology forum 2) Not all Christians believe the same thing you do.

alidan 11/14/2010 12:55 PM
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ok i got half way down, before i had to say something.
first off congrats, no one said "this is kind of gay"

second i believe all marriages shouldn't be a government institution. separation between church and state where.

alidan 11/14/2010 1:02 AM
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omnimodis78 :
You do understand that there are no anti-gay statements in the bible. I'm serious. Those passages which are supposedly "anti-gay" in there are actually mis-translations and contextual in nature. I'm just saying, if you want to use the bible to defend your position, then make sure you educate yourself enough so that you don't come off as a mere sheep following the teachings of hateful and ignorant preachers and cultists (i.e. the pope and his fellow pedophiles).



i love this, ,yea alot of the anti gay things are taken out of context, but there is one, dont remember the number, that is anti sodomy, which means any form of sex not to pro create. it basically says better to do a whore than to let the seed hit the ground. thats the only in context anti gay thing i believe is in there, the rest it twisted to be anti gay.

dogman_1234 11/14/2010 1:11 AM
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alidan :
i love this, ,yea alot of the anti gay things are taken out of context, but there is one, dont remember the number, that is anti sodomy, which means any form of sex not to pro create. it basically says better to do a whore than to let the seed hit the ground. thats the only in context anti gay thing i believe is in there, the rest it twisted to be anti gay.



Um...you are referring to masturbation.

thecapulet 11/14/2010 1:13 AM
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