Three people were arrested today at the Travis County Clerk’s office while protesting Texas' prohibition on gay marriage.
After numerous gay and lesbian couples applied for marriage licensees in protest, three activists locked arms and refused to leave, leading to their arrest.
The incident was one of several statewide actions coordinated by GetEqual TX this Valentine’s Day. “Our mission is to empower the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community and our allies to take bold action to demand full legal and social equality, and to hold accountable those who stand in the way,” the organization writes on its website. The protest also had local support from Occupy Austin.
News website The Raw Story has photos of the action, and documents a commitment ceremony one gay couple held outside the clerk’s office.
Video was also shot of county clerk Dana DeBeauvoir speaking to the protestors prior to their arrest. Although the audio is poor quality, DeBeauvoir can be heard saying “I’m sorry, and perhaps in the future I will be able to issue a marriage license to same-gender couples so that you can enjoy the same civil rights that other couples” have.
