LA County Tops in Gay Marriages
My Fox Los Angeles
October 6, 2008

Los Angeles County has been the venue of more same- sex marriages than any other California county since such unions were legalized in June, according to a study released today.

The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law reported that 2,719 gay couples tied the knot in Los Angeles County, edging out San Francisco County's 2,708 same-sex marriages.

Five counties -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Riverside and Alameda -- account for 80 percent of the estimated 11,000 married same-sex couples statewide, according to the study.

Researchers credited the counties' "large and visible" lesbian and gay populations, as well as the the fact that they make attractive tourist destinations for out-of-state couples wanting to get married.

The California Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on gay marriage in May after a lengthy court battle.

Gay marriage became legal at 5:01 p.m. June 16, prompting same-sex couples throughout the state to flock to county clerk offices to apply for marriage licenses.

Opponents of same-sex marriage fired back by petitioning for an amendment to the state constitution to declare than only marriage between a man and a woman be valid in California.

The amendment, Proposition 8, will go before voters at the Nov. 4 General Election.

Researchers at the Williams Institute also published three other studies on the demographics of same-sex couples in California. Key findings include:

-- nearly 25 percent of the couples are raising children, totaling 52,000 kids;

-- there are 109,000 same-sex couples in California, up from 90,000 in 2000;

-- California is home to the largest percentage of same-sex couples; and

-- 861,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual adults live in California.