A recent article by Paul Kix of AOL News, “Study: Gay Parents More Likely to Have Gay Kids,” discussed research by Kansas State University professor Walter Schumm, in which Schumm claims to have come to the titular conclusion.
Problem is, Schumm has been shown to use misleading methods, and is associated with the leader of a known hate group. He conducted a “meta-analysis” of 10 existing sources for this study—but Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin notes that all of the sources “were from general-audience books about LGBT parenting and families, most of which are available on Amazon.com. Schumm read the books, took notes on each parent and child described in the book, examined their histories, and counted up who was gay and who was straight among the kids.” In other words, the sample was neither random nor representative. At least one of these books, Abigail Garner’s Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is (which I highly recommend), was even intentionally non-random. Burroway cites Garner’s explanation: “I deliberately aimed to have 50% of the kids interviewed to be queer. Not because it is statistically reflective of the population, but to give it balance of perspective.”
Schumm, however, used this to compile statistics about how many gay and lesbian parents have gay and lesbian children. AOL News’ Kix never questioned his approach, even though a simple Google search turns up much material that casts doubt upon it.
Schumm’s original paper about his research, in the Journal of Biosocial Science, noted that some of his material “was prepared in his role as an expert witness” in a Florida trial about the state’s ban on adoption by gay men and lesbians. A Florida appeals court recently upheld the lower court decision declaring the ban unconstitutional—and noted that two other witnesses attested to the “fundamental errors” in Schumm’s analysis. Kix said that Schumm testified, but did not mention that his analysis was questioned. Instead, Kix said, “In his testimony was an inkling of the robust research Schumm has just completed.”
Not only that, but Schumm is also associated with Paul Cameron, the leader of a known hate group. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) calls Cameron “an infamous anti-gay propagandist whose one-man statistical chop shop, the Family Research Institute, churns out hate literature masquerading as legitimate science.” Schumm sat on the board of Cameron’s Empirical Journal of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior, a failed online publication.
Schumm’s paper concluded, “the evidence appears to support Cameron’s (2006) hypothesis regarding the intergenerational transfer of sexual orientation. . . . Parental preference and modelling may play an important role, among many other possible factors.”
We have to be careful here, of course, acknowledging that some children of LGBTQ parents will be LGBTQ themselves (and that’s okay), without giving in to the fear that LGBTQ parents will “make” all of our children so against their natural inclinations—and the latter certainly seems to be where Cameron and Schumm are going with this.
Kix reported on Schumm’s work as if it were valid and worthy of consideration, however. He also spoke with Schumm directly, and writes without question things like:
Schumm also finds evidence of gay mothers pushing their daughters, upset over a relationship with a man, to “try out women.”
But couldn’t gay men also tell their sons this? Yes, but Schumm tells AOL News that most gay men have at some point been with a woman, so they understand why their sons might date them. Whereas the literature shows some lesbians “have a hatred of men that’s intense,” Schumm says.
Yep. The old “man-hating lesbian” stereotype is alive and well.
I have more on all this over at Change.org. I also encourage you to sign and share the petition (embedded here, or over at Change.org) asking AOL News not to allow such shoddy reporting that propagates bad, biased, harmful science.
(If the embedded widget isn’t working for you, try it at Change.org.)
WOW!!! This is unbelievable!
This is what happens when we stop teaching science and critical thinking in schools… people never learn how to read a “scientific” study with a critical eye. This is totally disgusting.
Sorry, maybe I’m missing something. What’s wrong with having more gay kids, exactly? About time we stopped apologizing for our existence and playing down our “gayness” in order to court the mainstream. Who knows how my son will turn out. I don’t care one way or the other. But if he falls into the hazy continuum of human sexuality that we call “gay” I’ll be delighted.
Nothing at all is wrong with having more gay kids, Carla. As I said, “We have to be careful here, of course, acknowledging that some children of LGBTQ parents will be LGBTQ themselves (and that’s okay), without giving in to the fear that LGBTQ parents will ‘make’ all of our children so against their natural inclinations—and the latter certainly seems to be where Cameron and Schumm are going with this.”
Dana. Absolutely. I completely understand the importance of nuance in the messaging here. But my point is just that–at some point the nuance will be lost on the populace and if it is lost, the default will be “having gay kids is to be feared, even lbgtq families acknowledge this.” Tragic. This is an age-old debate within our community, as I’m sure you know. And I’m saying that a more powerful message can and should be “so what’s wrong with that? The study is flawed, but even if it wasn’t, this is an outcome to be celebrated.”
I see your point–it is a nuance, but I also think it’s important to acknowledge when anti-LGBTQ researchers are using false methods to try and prove some point about our families that isn’t really true. What Schumm seems to be getting at is that we somehow influence our kids to be LGBTQ when they wouldn’t be so if they had non-LGBTQ parents.
And yes, it’s tough when even LGBTQ families are hesitant to support any LGBTQ kids they may have. A new study by Arlene Istar Lev in the journal Family Process discusses this.
Personally, I worry about how many ignorant bigots produce children who are also ignorant bigots. But I have yet to see statistics on that one.
LOL!