Monday, December 10, 2012

NOM tries give 'study' some credibility and fails miserably

You simply have to give the National Organization for Marriage points for braziness, if not honesty.

On its blog is the following:


Washington Examiner: "Study Finds Children of Same Sex Couples Lag in School"


Paul Bedard of The Washington Examiner:
Countering previous studies that found little difference between kids of same sex couples and those in a traditional marriage, a new report reveals that children of gay parents are 35 percent less likely to make normal progress in school that those living with their own married parents.
Based on the largest sample to date for such a study, the new work from three economists raises anew the impact state laws approving of same sex marriage have on children. The new study provided to Secrets said: "Children of same sex couples are significantly less likely to make normal progress through school than other children: 35% less likely than the children of heterosexual married parents, 23% less likely than the children of never married mothers, and 15% less likely than the children of cohabiting parents." The study also looked at similar scholarly work that had determined no difference in children of same sex and traditional marriages. The authors said that those studies filtered the sample of children to get their result.

Sounds interesting, except when you see the original article in The Washington Examiner and read the last two paragraphs which is conveniently not a part of NOM's excerpt:

"The previous study claiming no differences between the children of same sex parents and other children had serious problems," said study co-author Douglas Allen, an economics professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. That study, he said, "excluded children who were not biologically related to the household head, and children who did not live in the same place for five years. That threw out over half of the observations. When we put those children back into our analysis, but controlled for these factors, we found that the children of same sex parents are less likely to make normal progress through school."

Allen's study was just published in the journal "Demography." He is a member of the Ruth Institute Circle of Experts, a group dedicated to traditional marriage. The other authors were Catherine Pakaluk of Ave Marie University and Joseph Price of Brigham Young University.

Did you see that? Douglas Allen was identified as the co-author of this study. He was also identified as a member of the Ruth Institute.

And the Ruth Institute is a "project of National Organization for Marriage Fund." This is clearly seen on the Ruth Institute's webpage.

In other words, NOM seems to be trying pass this "study" as objective when in reality, one of the study's authors, Allen, is affiliated with NOM. Lastly, Allen and the other two other professors - Pakaluk and Price - deal in economics.

It's the usual shuck-and-jive we have come to expect from NOM. 

Geez guys, can you come up with any new deceptions? This is beginning to get rather boring.




'Conservative pundits 'giving up the ghost' on fighting marriage equality?' and other Monday midday news briefs


Conservative Pundits: Accepting Same-Sex Marriage Is Common Sense - Love the capitulation, but remember how the religious right are. They are like a rash which won't go away so I doubt they will be swayed. Also, didn't some of these pundits predict a Romney landslide?

  Merck Foundation Severs Boy Scouts Funding Over Anti-Gay Policy - The Boy Scouts don't have to let our gay children in. But suffering the consequences of their actions isn't an attack on religious freedom. Sorry.  

NOM Plans To Drive Wedge Right Into Middle Of Gay Community - NOM gets major points for being brazen.

 Photo of couple applying for marriage license goes viral - I know that you all have seen the picture of the elderly male couple applying for their marriage license in Washington state. The story behind the couple is as awesome as the picture.

Washington state gay couples should bring a tear to your eyes

This is what love looks like. The following photos of are couples in Washington state getting their marriage licenses:






Okay, if there are any anti-marriage equality folks out there reading this post, I am calling you out. Tell me just what is wrong with these couples getting married? I'm serious so you had better be. No nonsense about "the parts don't fit" and no discredited or cherry-picked science (I will tear you apart for that one).

Tell me, what's wrong with these lovely soon-to-be married couples?

More pics at Buzzfeed.