Same-sex couples flock to Calif. altar

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Same-sex couples in California were flocking to get married as a ballot initiative to overturn the unions' legality hung in the balance, officials said.

California's Proposition 8, amending the state Constitution to roll back a state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriages, was rated a toss-up by pollsters Monday, triggering a wave of marriages by gay and lesbian couples concerned the unions might soon be banned, the New York Times reported.

West Hollywood, Calif., City Councilman John Duran told the newspaper he had performed 25 same-sex marriage ceremonies since Friday, saying, "This is the modern-day version of a shotgun wedding. We're doing as many as we can before (Tuesday)."

Same-sex couples jammed the hallway in front of the San Francisco County Clerk's Office Monday, with wedding ceremonies starting at 9 a.m., the Times said. Dozens more such ceremonies already booked for Election Day.

"We're here in case of what happens tomorrow," Michael Levy, who married his partner Michael Golden Monday, told the newspaper. "I'm scared. It's really close."