Gay Dallas Couple Protest Marriage Inequality

Thursday afternoon, Mark Jimenez and Beau Chandler were arrested at the Dallas County Clerk's Office for refusing to leave after they were denied a marriage license. At 3 pm, the couple entered the County Records Building with friends, TV crews, and LGBT liaison officers for the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas County sheriff's department.
After the sympathetic, teary-eyed clerk's assistant refused their paperwork, Jimenez and Chandler handcuffed themselves together and sat on the floor at the head of the line. The building closed at 4:30 pm and everyone was instructed to leave. Once the building was cleared out, police arrested the couple. Friends and supporters waited on the sidewalk and cheered for them as they were placed in separate squad cars. They were released from jail later that night.
In late May, the couple became engaged when Jimenez proposed to Chandler over breakfast. The engagement ring was hidden in Chandler's pancakes. They discussed marrying in a state that recognizes equal marriage, but didn't want their union voided when they returned to Texas. After speaking with their friend Daniel Cates of GetEQUAL TX, the two decided to protest publically.
Despite being denied a license, Jimenez and Chandler have set a wedding date of September 13 and intend to take part in Dallas' Pride Parade on September 16.