In June, after the Regnerus study came out, the American Psychological Association released a statement reaffirming its stance that “there is no scientific evidence that parenting effectiveness is related to parental sexual orientation,” citing “a remarkably consistent body of research.”Ī 2010 article in the Journal of Marriage and Family, summarizing 81 studies on single, same-sex and opposite-sex parents, found little evidence that parents’ gender made a difference on kids. Sherkat also found cause for concern that there were biased peer reviewers and that the study was funded by conservative groups.Įven if you believe the Regnerus study, it does not a standard make. In a scathing audit provided to the newspaper, Darren Sherkat, a sociology professor at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, said the study used inadequate definitions of gay and lesbian parents, saying almost all of those who were studied didn’t raise children with a same-sex partner. An auditor the journal assigned to review the study called it “bull-” in an article published Thursday by the Chronicle of Higher Education. While it’s been hailed by gay-marriage opponents as scientific proof of their cause, the methodology has been attacked by many as flawed. One study, to be published in November in Social Science Research by University of Texas at Austin sociology professor Mark Regnerus, purports to show issues surrounding gay couples’ parenting abilities. “Therefore, conclusions cannot be drawn from that report about children raised by same-sex parents.” It focused on children being raised in families headed by single-parents, step-parents, and married biological parents,” said Marci McCoy-Roth, a Child Trends spokeswoman, in a statement.
“The 2002 report by Child Trends did not examine families headed by same-sex parents.