Study: 11,000 gay weddings in California

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A new study shows that California has overtaken Massachusetts in the number of same-sex marriages performed.

The Williams Institute at UCLA said an estimated 11,000 same-sex couples had tied the knot in California between June 17 and Sept. 17 compared to around 10,000 in Massachusetts.

The Los Angeles Times said Tuesday that homosexuals have been allowed to marry since June when the state Supreme Court cleared the way for such unions. Massachusetts, on the other hand, has allowed gay weddings since 2004.

The study's authors estimated that a sizable number of the couples married in California came from other states to tourist destinations such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.

California voters will be asked in November to decide an amendment to the state constitution that would formally restrict marriage to heterosexual couples.