A study often used by anti-gay groups to claim gay parents are bad for children has been found to have included highly suspect data, including responses from an arrested toddler - and a 25-year-old giant weighing 40kgs who'd had been married eight times and had eight children. The 2012 study by Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas claimed same-sex parents have a negative impact on their children’s outcomes. Its findings have been used against marriage equality and gay adoption. In New Zealand it’s been cited by the likes of Family First. The study was paid for by two right wing groups which oppose same-sex marriage. A look at the study's flaws An internal auditor for Social Science Research, which published the study, has previously described it as “bullshit”. Among the issues raised were a lack of respondents who were actually raised by same-sex parents, and questions around the peer review process. Right Wing Watch reports that in an upcoming article, a pair of sociologists will put what they call the “final nail in the coffin” of the much-criticised study. Indiana University's Brian Powell and the University of Connecticut’s Simon Cheng say they have found methodological flaws in Regnerus’ research. They have eliminated suspect data, such as a 25-year-old respondent who claimed to be 7’8” tall, 40kgs and married eight times and with eight children. Another person said they had been arrested at the age of one. They have also used the data collected, redone the study and found “adult children who lived with same-sex parents show comparable outcome profiles to those from other family types, including intact biological families.” An Australian study released last year found children of same-sex parents are happy and healthy, and in some ways faring better than others – and the real problems they face are due lingering social stigma.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 11th May 2015 - 11:19am