Walter Schumm

Last updated
Walter Schumm
BornJanuary 9, 1951
Education College of William and Mary
Purdue University
OccupationAcademic
Employer Kansas State University
Children7

Walter R. Schumm (born January 9, 1951) [1] is a professor in the Department of Family Studies and Human Services at Kansas State University. He is also the editor-in-chief of the academic journal Marriage & Family Review . [2] Much of Schumm's research purports to find negative effects of same-sex parenting, although his work has been criticized for its methodology. [3] [4] [2] [5] In 2010, he gave "expert evidence" in a Florida court against a gay man who challenged the state's ban on LGBT adoption. [3]

Contents

Education

Schumm received his B.S. in physics from the College of William and Mary in 1972, his M.S. in Family and Child Development from Kansas State University in 1976, and his Ph.D. in Family Studies from Purdue University in 1979. [6]

Career

For 30 years (1972-2002), Schumm served as a colonel in the United States Army Reserve and Army National Guard. He joined the faculty of Kansas State University in 1979. [6]

Research

Schumm is known for his research on the alleged adverse effects of LGBT parenting, and the state of Florida called on him to give expert testimony in support of their same-sex marriage ban when it was challenged in court in 2008. [3] For example, in 2010, he published a study in the Journal of Biosocial Science claiming that homosexual parents are more likely than non-homosexual parents to have homosexual children, although the effect was not significant for males. [7] [2]

In November 2012, he wrote a commentary in defense of the methodology of Mark Regnerus' New Family Structures Study (NFSS), which was originally published earlier that year and which claimed that children of same-sex parents were less likely to succeed later in life. Writing in the same journal ( Social Science Research ) that originally published the NFSS, Schumm claimed that "the methodological decisions [Regnerus] made in the design and implementation of the New Family Structures Survey were not uncommon among social scientists, including many progressive, gay and lesbian scholars." Other academics subsequently criticized Schumm because he had served as a paid consultant to the NFSS early in its development. [8]

In 2018, Schumm was given the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who's Who, a biography publishing company. [9]

Schumm was on the editorial board of the Empirical Journal of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior, a journal founded by anti-LGBT extremist Paul Cameron. [2] The Windy City Times has described Schumm's views as "anti-gay". [10]

Personal life

Schumm is married and has seven children. [1] Among his children is Jonathan Schumm, a former member of the Topeka City Council who resigned in April 2016 when he was facing torture and child abuse charges. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Phelps</span> American pastor and activist (1929–2014)

Fred Waldron Phelps Sr. was an American minister and disbarred lawyer who served as the pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, worked as a civil rights attorney, and ran for statewide election in Kansas. A divisive and controversial figure, he gained national attention for his homophobic views and protests near the funerals of gay people, AIDS victims, military veterans, and disaster victims who he believed were killed as a result of God punishing the U.S. for having "bankrupt values" and tolerating homosexuality. Phelps founded the Westboro Baptist Church, a Topeka, Kansas-based independent Primitive Baptist congregation, in 1955. It has been described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as "arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America". Its signature slogan, "God Hates Fags", remains the name of the group's principal website.

Anti-LGBT rhetoric comprises themes, catchphrases, and slogans that have been used in order to demean lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. They range from the demeaning and the pejorative to expressions of hostility towards homosexuality which are based on religious, medical, or moral grounds. It is widely considered a form of hate speech, which is illegal in countries such as the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

Heterosexism is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination in favor of heterosexuality and heterosexual relationships. According to Elizabeth Cramer, it can include the belief that all people are or should be heterosexual and that heterosexual relationships are the only norm and therefore superior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosexuality and psychology</span> Homosexuality as studied by the field of psychology

The field of psychology has extensively studied homosexuality as a human sexual orientation. The American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality in the DSM-I in 1952, but that classification came under scrutiny in research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. That research and subsequent studies consistently failed to produce any empirical or scientific basis for regarding homosexuality as anything other than a natural and normal sexual orientation that is a healthy and positive expression of human sexuality. As a result of this scientific research, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the DSM-II in 1973. Upon a thorough review of the scientific data, the American Psychological Association followed in 1975 and also called on all mental health professionals to take the lead in "removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated" with homosexuality. In 1993, the National Association of Social Workers adopted the same position as the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, in recognition of scientific evidence. The World Health Organization, which listed homosexuality in the ICD-9 in 1977, removed homosexuality from the ICD-10 which was endorsed by the 43rd World Health Assembly on 17 May 1990.

Same-sex adoption is the adoption of children by same-sex couples. It may take the form of a joint adoption by the couple, or of the adoption by one partner of the other's biological child.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Cameron</span> American psychologist and extremist (born 1939)

Paul Drummond Cameron is an American psychologist. While employed at various institutions, including the University of Nebraska, he conducted research on passive smoking, but he is best known today for his claims about homosexuality. After a successful 1982 campaign against a gay rights proposal in Lincoln, Nebraska, he established the Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality (ISIS), now known as the Family Research Institute (FRI). As FRI's chairman, Cameron has written contentious papers asserting unproven associations between homosexuality and the perpetration of child sexual abuse and reduced life expectancy. These have been heavily criticized and frequently discredited by others in the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights opposition</span> Opposition to legal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people

LGBT rights opposition is the opposition to legal rights, proposed or enacted, for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Laws that LGBT rights opponents may be opposed to include civil unions or partnerships, LGBT parenting and adoption, military service, access to assisted reproductive technology, and access to sex reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy for transgender individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Croatia</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Croatia have expanded since the turn of the 21st century, especially in the 2010s and 2020s. However, LGBT people still face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. The status of same-sex relationships was first formally recognized in 2003 under a law dealing with unregistered cohabitations. As a result of a 2013 referendum, the Constitution of Croatia defines marriage solely as a union between a woman and man, effectively prohibiting same-sex marriage. Since the introduction of the Life Partnership Act in 2014, same-sex couples have effectively enjoyed rights equal to heterosexual married couples in almost all of its aspects, except adoption. In 2022, a final court judgement allowed same-sex adoption under the same conditions as for mixed-sex couples. Same-sex couples in Croatia can also apply for foster care since 2020. Croatian law forbids all discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all civil and state matters; any such identity is considered a private matter, and such information gathering for any purpose is forbidden as well.

Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosexuality</span> Sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender

Homosexuality is a sexual attraction, romantic attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exclusively to people of the same sex or gender. It "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Same-sex parenting</span> Parenting of children by same-sex couples

Same-sex parenting is the parenting of children by same-sex couples generally consisting of gays or lesbians who are often in civil partnerships, domestic partnerships, civil unions, or same-sex marriages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Same-sex relationship</span> Romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex

A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. Same-sex marriage refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries where same-sex marriage does not.

In re: Gill is a landmark Florida court case that in 2010 ended Florida's 33-year ban on adoptions by homosexuals. In 2007, Frank Martin Gill, an openly gay man, had petitioned the circuit court to adopt two boys that he and his partner had been raising as foster children since 2004. Gill was prohibited from adopting by a 1977 Florida law prohibiting adoption by gay men and lesbians in that state. After a four-day trial challenging the law, on November 25, 2008, Judge Cindy S. Lederman declared the ban violated the equal protection rights of the children and their prospective parents under the Florida Constitution, and granted Gill's adoption request.

Homosexuality, as a phenomenon and as a behavior, has existed throughout all eras in human societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Kansas</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Kansas have federal protections, but many face some legal challenges on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Kansas under the US Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy laws that only apply to same-sex sexual acts. The state has prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations since 2020. Proposed bills restricting preferred gender identity on legal documents, bans on transgender people in women's sports, bathroom use restrictions, among other bills were vetoed numerous times by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly since 2021. However, many of Kelly's vetoes were overridden by the Republican supermajority in the Kansas legislature and became law.

Until 2017, laws related to LGBTQ+ couples adopting children varied by state. Some states granted full adoption rights to same-sex couples, while others banned same-sex adoption or only allowed one partner in a same-sex relationship to adopt the biological child of the other.

Mark Daniel Regnerus is a sociologist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. His main fields of interest are sexual behavior, relationship dynamics, and religion.

The New Family Structures Study is a sociological study of LGBT parenting conducted by sociologist Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas at Austin. The study surveyed over 15,000 Americans of ages 18 to 39. The first research article based on data from the study was published in July 2012 in Social Science Research, and concluded that people who had had a parent who had been in a same-gender relationship were at a greater risk of several adverse outcomes, including "being on public assistance, being unemployed, and having poorer educational attainment."

DeBoer v. Snyder is a lawsuit that was filed by April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse on January 23, 2012, in federal district court, challenging Michigan's ban on adoption by same-sex couples so they can jointly adopt their children. In August 2012, Judge Bernard A. Friedman invited the couple to amend their suit to challenge the state's ban on same-sex marriage, "the underlying issue". Following a hearing on October 16, 2013, Friedman scheduled a trial that ran from February 25 to March 7, 2014. On March 21, Judge Friedman issued his ruling overturning the ban. On March 22, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit placed a temporary hold on Judge Friedman's ruling. The appeal was argued on August 6. On November 6, the Sixth Circuit reversed Judge Friedman and upheld Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage.

References

  1. 1 2 "Walter Schumm CV" (PDF). Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Schlatter, Evelyn (20 September 2012). "Anti-LGBT Propagandist Published Again in Academic Journal". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Mack, David (11 December 2015). "The "Witch Hunt" Barring Same-Sex Families From Adopting Children In Kansas". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  4. ↑ McEwan, Alvin (2010-10-18). "AOL Article Demonstrates the Deception of Anti-Gay Bad Science". HuffPost. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  5. ↑ Tedder, Ryan (2010-10-18). "Gay Parents 'Far More Likely' to Have Gay Kids, Says Questionable Science". Queerty. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  6. 1 2 "Walter Schumm". Kansas State University. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  7. ↑ SCHUMM, WALTER R. (20 July 2010). "Children of Homosexuals More Apt to be Homosexuals? A Reply to Morrison and to Cameron Based on an Examination of Multiple Sources of Data". Journal of Biosocial Science. 42 (6): 721–742. doi:10.1017/S0021932010000325. PMID   20642872.
  8. ↑ Straumsheim, Carl (2 May 2013). "A Reviewer's Conflict". Inside Higher Education. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Medved, Chelsi (November 16, 2018). "Schumm awarded lifetime achievement award by Marquis Who's Who". K-State Today. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Anti-gay caught hiring from Rentboy.com". Windy City Times. April 5, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2022. Reker and his equally anti-gay colleague Walter Schumm were the only witnesses the state bothered to call.
  11. ↑ Llopis-Jensen, Celia (7 December 2015). "Schumm's father testified in landmark case on same-sex adoption". Hays Daily News. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Hrenchir (April 16, 2019). "Topeka City Councilman Jonathan Schumm resigns". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.