Five Things News Outlets Should Know About The Newest Same-Sex Parenting Study
Conservatives are abuzz over a new study on same-sex parenting slated to appear in the July issue of Social Science Research. According to the study’s lead investigator, associate sociology professor Mark Regnerus, children of heterosexual married parents score better on a number of measures of social, emotional, and relationship outcomes than the children of same-sex parents. Anti-gay groups like the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and Family Research Council (FRC), along with conservative news outlets like National Review Online and The Washington Times, are hailing the study as proof of the dangers of same-sex parenting.
In reality, the study suffers from a number of serious methodological flaws, and the political motivations of its backers should raise concerns about the survey’s findings.