Utah distances itself from discredited Regnerus study in advance of 10 Circuit Court marriage equality appeal

Mark Regnerus

The state of Utah filed a last minute brief yesterday with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in advance of oral arguments which begin today in the lawsuit over the state's marriage equality ban.

The brief basically steps back from using the flawed and discredited study by Mark Regnerus, which has been referenced by many anti-marriage equality opponents as reason to discriminate against gay couples who wish to marry.

From the letter:

Utah files this supplemental letter in response to recent press reports and analysis of the study by Professor Mark Regnerus, which the State cited at footnotes 34 and 42 of its Opening Brief, and which addresses the debate over whether same-sex parenting produces child outcomes that are comparable to man-woman parenting.

First, we wish to emphasize the very limited relevance to this case of the comparison addressed by Professor Regnerus. As the State’s briefing makes clear, the State’s principal concern is the potential long-term impact of a redefinition of marriage on the children of heterosexual parents. The debate over man-woman versus same-sex parenting has little if any bearing on that issue, given that being raised in a same-sex household would normally not be one of the alternatives available to children of heterosexual parents.

Second, on the limited issue addressed by the Regnerus study, the State wishes to be clear about what that study (in the State’s view) does and does not establish. The Regnerus study did not examine as its sole focus the outcomes of children raised in same-sex households but, because of sample limitations inherent in the field of study at this point, examined primarily children who acknowledged having a parent who had engaged in a same-sex relationship. Thus, the Regnerus study cannot be viewed as conclusively establishing that raising a child in a same-sex household produces outcomes that are inferior to those produced by man-woman parenting arrangements.

The bolding is mine.

Regernus' study was blasted recently in the marriage equality ruling handed down in Michigan. And while he was testifying in Michigan, his own school where he teaches issued a statement putting space between the university and Regnerus.

Here's a brief recap going into oral arguments for the case in the 10th Circuit today.