Social scientists take offense at “deeply flawed” anti-gay parenting research

Recent studies, funded by two conservative-leaning foundations, suggest disadvantages associated with same-sex parents. But enlightened scientists say the research is deeply flawed, and does not measure the effect of same-sex parenting at all. The results don’t have an actual category of gay parents in the project that you can isolate and prove the most important thing in this kid’s childhood is that they were raised by gay parents. The study defined same-sex parenting by asking participants if their parents had ever had same-sex relationships, and whether they had lived with the parent at that time. That led to a “hodgepodge” group of people compared with kids in stable, married homes.

“If growing up with gay or lesbian parents were catastrophic for children, even studies based on small convenience samples would have shown this by now,” said Pennsylvania State University sociologist Paul Amato.

[via HuffPo]