Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Anti-gay groups attempting to push new, error-filled study on gay parenting

Having learned absolutely nothing from their attempts to push through a soon discredited study  during the DOMA trial two years ago, anti-gay groups and conservatives are at it again.

According to Zack Ford from Think Progress:

Conservatives are excitedly promoting a new study that supposedly reveals negative outcomes for the children of same-sex parents. Like the infamously flawed Mark Regnerus study rushed out two years ago, the new study seems timed to impact the Supreme Court’s upcoming consideration of marriage equality for same-sex couples. It suffers, however, from some of the same flaws and biases as Regnerus’ study, and doesn’t actually support the argument against marriage equality that it tries to make.

The new study comes from Donald Paul Sullins, a Catholic priest and sociology professor at Catholic University of America. Sullins is a fellow of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute, a project of the anti-LGBT Family Research Council, and a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, which has funneled millions of dollars into fighting marriage equality over the past decade.

Those facts should destroy the study's credibility from the beginning, but in this environment of headless monsters (i.e. inaccuracies which continue to be propped up as fact no matter how many times they have been refuted), it's best that the beast, or this new so-called study, is completely refuted. And Zack does a wonderful job at pointing out its errors, including:

There is no information whether or not the same-sex couples were married,

The study has the same flaws as the infamous Regnerus study,

and lastly:

As a vehicle for opposing same-sex marriage, the study severely lacks integrity, as its political positions don’t jibe with its data. “Biology matters,” Regnerus asserts, and Sullins emphasizes that his study identifies “the importance of common biological parentage for optimum child well-being.” Nowhere, however, does Sullins or Regnerus suggest that this has any policy implications for adoption or foster care by different-sex couples. It might be a hard case to make given Sullins has two adopted children of his own.

The attempt to push this flawed work underscores the simple fact that the lgbt community shouldn't take anything as a given. The feeling now is that the Supreme Court will legalize marriage equality nationwide. However, with opposition so willing to stop this from being a reality and determined to stoop to all sorts of levels of distortion, it would serve the lgbt community to not be so quick to set wedding dates and be more inclined with remaining on the lookout for more distortions, smears, and lies.

'Complaints filed against AL probate judge for refusing same-sex marriage licenses' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

Complaints filed against probate judge for refusing same-sex marriage licenses - Yes! If your refusal to do your job robs folks of their hard-won rights, you pay the price.  

Jeffress: Gay Marriage Is 'The Greatest Sign Of The End Times That We See In Our Country Right Now' - Whatever happened to the good old days when doom-and-gloom prophets looked the part. Somehow appearing on television shows, radio shows and in front of scores of folks while dressed like a GQ model (and I haven't even mentioned the bank account) kinda paints you as not credible.

South Dakota Lawmaker Says It Was A ‘Significant Error’ To Allow Transgender Student Athletes - For Pete's sake, stop picking on our transgender children! 

 Alabama marriage equality tantrum slap in the face to all Americans - From time to time, I will include posts I've already written in the news briefs because I feel said post makes a point which should be shared as much as possible. This is such a post. We need to emphasize the following point continuously: "Exploiting your religious faith to get your way when you lose in federal court is not American."  

How 'Respectablity Politics' Muted The Legacy Of Black LGBT Activist Pauli Murray - Another lgbt of color historical figure we don't know about yet . . .