Some Guys Are Normal

Cameron's Critics

I've posted already about Paul Cameron's latest research on gay families, which is basically a summary of books he found on Amazon.com.

Well, recently I ran across the blog of one of the authors of one of the books he used in his "research." The author, Abigail Garner, wrote a book called Families Like Mine, Children of Gay Parents Tell it Like it is, and she (not Cameron) interviewed 50 of the 77 subjects in his "study."

Garner has a post linking several blogs that discuss Cameron and Jim Burroway's rebuttal (including a link to me!). She also has a post here detailing some of her issues with the Cameron "study" that uses her book extensively.

Garner's letter to the Journal of Biological Science expresses her view of Cameron's work pretty clearly:

I am the author of Families Like Mine, one of three books Cameron used for his supposed statistical analysis in the article in question. Cameron had absolutely no right to twist these non-scientific samples into bogus findings that he is trying to pass off as hard data. Anyone who is familiar with the sources he cites would know his results are ludicrous — no advanced degree necessary to debunk his work after just a few minutes of elementary fact-checking.

Abigail has lots more about the Cameron study, so you should really read her site. I especially like her take on having to hear AM talk show hosts who don't care that Cameron is a discredited quack who most on the far right won't even pay attention to.:

I can hear it now: “According to a report released by Cambridge University Press — now this is not some fly-by-night-publication here folks — here’s what they reported in May 2006: Children of homosexuals are more likely to become homosexual under their parents’ influence. All the more reason for you to pick up the phone, call your senator, and tell him you want him to make sure he helps pass [insert anti-gay family bill du jour here].”

posted by Brady @ 8:31 AM