Ex-Gay Therapists Join Hate Groups In Praising Flawed Parenting Study

The National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), the professional organization for ex-gay therapists, sang the praises yesterday of Mark Regenrus’ completely flawed study that claimed to evaluate same-sex parenting. Rather than acknowledge that the paper provided a negligible amount of data about committed same-sex couples with planned families, NARTH suggested it was the most accurate study on same-sex parenting ever:

In a historic study of children raised by homosexual parents, sociologist Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas at Austin has overturned the conventional academic wisdom that such children suffer no disadvantages when compared to children raised by their married mother and father. Just published in the journal Social Science Research, the most careful, rigorous, and methodologically sound study ever conducted on this issue found numerous and significant differences between these groups–with the outcomes for children of homosexuals rated “suboptimal” (Regnerus’ word) in almost every category.

If that weren’t enough, NARTH then linked to analyses from the following four sources:

• The Family Research Council, an anti-gay hate group.
• Dr. Mark Yarhouse of Regent University, whose own pro-ex-gay research found that ex-gay therapy and behavior does nothing to change sexual orientation.
• Townhall columnist Jeff Jacoby, who regularly attacks the LGBT community and who has said that same-sex marriage “interferes with the core elements of wedlock.”
• The Alliance Defense Fund, an anti-gay hate group.

There’s never been any doubt about NARTH’s motives, but this clearly shows that ex-gay therapists align with hate groups to distort science for the sake of demonizing gays. It’s because of the antipathy these groups inject into society that anybody’s same-sex attractions are “unwanted” to begin with, demonstrating the artificial cycle of internalized homophobia they all depend upon.