Junk social science relies on a voiceless, powerless sample. Paul Cameron’s “fatal flaw” in his most recent example of junk science is that this time, he chose to report on a sample of adults who have stayed in contact with the “principal investigator” (that’s fancy-talk for yours truly).

Traditionally, research on kids of gays went like this: willing parents brought their minor children in for a survey or interview, sometimes informing them why there were doing it, but often times not — out of concern that disclosure would influence the outcome. So the kids played with some toys in a room with a one-way mirror, answered odd questions about men and women or mommies and daddies or whatever, then went out for ice cream and never heard about it again. The information collected by the social scientist was folded into the larger research report, and the subjects had no way to respond — especially since many didn’t understand they were participating in research in the first place.

The subjects in my book are different, because they are not left powerless. They are not anonymous statistics who can be spun and re-spun to satisfy anyone’s agenda. I continue to offer them a platform to connect with readers. They know how to Google. They know how to email. In short: this sample talks back.

Demonstrating this critical difference, the tireless online truth-seeker Jim Burroway has published an interview on his site with Anna Carlsson. Anna is one of the people I interviewed for Families Like Mine. She contacted Burroway, asking what she could do to counter Paul Cameron’s lies. This was especially personal for her, since she is one of the people Cameron specifically pulls from my book to reprint one of her quotes. (Other lucky folks from Families Like Mine quoted by Cameron are Ry Russo-Young, Jennifer Hubbard and Darius Greenbacher.)

In Families Like Mine, Anna uses the pseudonym “Greta.” I gave each person a choice as to whether they wanted to use their real name or a pseudonym. At the time she was not out to her family, but now she’s ready to be out — about her own sexuality and about the fact that she is “Greta.” I want to stress that Anna has stepped forward on her own. I will continue to veil the identities of those I interviewed who wish to remain anonymous.

Note that Anna identifies as bisexual. Cameron reports her as “lesbian” in his article because, according to his criteria, any same sex attraction makes you homosexual.

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