California Trumps Massachusetts in Sheer Number of Gay Marriages
Gay Financial Network
October 07, 2008

A California think tank has observed that more gay couples were married in California in the first three months of legal gay marriage in the state than were married in the first four years the practice was sanctioned in Massachusetts.

The data released this week by UCLA's Williams Institute -- a think tank devoted to the study of sexual orientation and the law -- found that an estimated 11,000 same-sex couples were married in California from June 17-Sept. 17, after the California Supreme Court ruled that prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying was unconstitutional.

That number is contrasted with the approximately 10,385 same-sex couples that wed in Massachusetts since the state legalized such unions in May 2004.

While the group was able to offer the hard numbers, interpreting the findings is still conjecture, though some conclusions can be drawn.

"Who are these people getting married? What the other studies tell you is they are people in pretty long-term, stable relationships," said Gary Gates, a demographer at the Williams Institute.

The number of marriages in California, though large, represents only about 10% of the more than 109,000 same-sex couples in California, noted Gates.

The number of identifiable gay couples continues to rise, according to a Williams Institute analysis of the U.S. Census. In 2000, 19,000 gay "households" were identified; nearly a quarter of these households have children. All together, reports the Williams Institute, there are more than 50,000 children living in same-sex households.

Still, there are no stats to show the exact number of same-sex marriages performed in the state because California does not collect information on the sex of couples who register to marry.

The Williams Institute arrived at their estimated numbers by comparing the number of marriages in each county last year, before gay marriage was legal, with the number this year. Any increase was assumed to be from same-sex couples saying "I do."

The only exception is San Francisco, which is keeping an exact tally of same-sex marriages. There have been 2,708 from June 17 to Sept. 17.

This month, the California Department of Public Health will change the state's marriage license form to indicate "bride" and "groom" as options, which were eliminated after the state's Supreme Court ruling. "Party A" and "Party B" that now appear on the forms will remain but be joined by "bride" and "groom."

The change back was prompted by a lawsuit from a heterosexual couple who demanded to be allowed to identify themselves as bride and groom. Couples can also choose to identify themselves as bride and bride or groom and groom, or they can leave the space blank.

The new forms will be used starting November 17.

The change in forms may not be the only change in California -- the very definition of marriage may be changed once again, if a proposition by anti-gay groups is passed

Proposition 8 would make gay marriage illegal in the state if approved by voters. Gay couples already married would retain that status, legal experts believe.

In the meantime, gay marriage has been welcomed in the state.

"People have waited for so long to be able to do this. . . . I'm sure that is the reason for the big response," Stevie St. John, a spokeswoman for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center told the Los Angeles Times.