On trial: Michigan takes aim at same-sex study

Expert testimony continues for both sides in trial testing Michigan's gay marriage ban

DETROIT – Lawyers for Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer cite a 2005 finding by the American Psychological Association that "not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents."

Testifying for the Attorney General, Louisiana State University professor Loren Marks said, "I was struck by the strength of language used in the claims. Typically we avoid absolutist language as social scientists."
Marks said he analyzed 59 published studies used by the APA. He said the participants tended to be "privileged, well educated, middle to upper class, white lesbian mothers." He said the average study size was too small -- 36 people -- and the children in the studies were too young to reveal significant problems.

More: Roger Weber blogs from trial over Michigan's gay marriage ban

Marks testified about another report showing the ratio of liberal to conservative psychologists on social issues is 23 to one.

Under cross examination, attorney Carole Stanyar used an old example on how views change.

Stanyar: In the 1600s in the Salem witch trials you would expect some scientists to believe that there were witches and they were guilty. Would you expect that the ratio changed over time?

Marks: I would assume that it did.

Stanyar: Are there witches?

Marks: There are at my house on Halloween.

DeBoer and Rowse have listened to dueling experts for the better part of the past seven days.

"There is not a statistical measure that can measure the amount of love I have for my kids and my family," said DeBoer.