Discredited researcher Mark Regnerus has rough cross-examination

Regnerus

Today, University of Texas professor Mark Regnerus was crossed examined by the lawyers seeking to overturn Michigan's law against marriage equality and second-parent adoption.

Regnerus is the author of the discredited study which claimed that same-sex parenting harms children.  Even though the study has been denounced by several sources, including Regnerus' own university, the state of Michigan called him as an expert witness.

Yesterday, he was questioned by the lawyers for the state of Michigan. If you ask me, I think he burned himself big time:

 The Human Rights Campaign linked to tweets by Tresa Baldas, a staff writer for the Detroit Free Press, who noted that Regnerus admitted that he is “not a fan” of same-sex marriage and that adoption and foster-parenting are “not the ideal” and that he is “not a fan” of in vitro fertilization because in his view, it “reduces kinship.” Baldas also tweeted that Regnerus denied creating the study to derail same-sex marriage but said that a group that funded it wanted to use it before the Supreme Court.

For now, there isn't a lot of information about how he did in today's cross examination from the media because much of the attention seems to be focused on the paradox of a professor's own university AND his own department in the university - sociology - denouncing his research.

 However, if the following tweets hold true, it can be assumed that Regnerus had a rough time at it.

The first few are from Charlie Langton, TV/Radio Legal Analyst  for WJBK Fox 2 and WWJ News Radio 950 via the webpage Peacock Panache:

Regnerus testifying on cross examination says the "ideal biological family"--doesn't have to be a "happy" family, just raise kids together.
— Charlie Langton (@charlielangton) March 4, 2014

Regnerus prefers no divorce, no sperm banks, no blended families....calls children from these groups, "diminished kinship."
— Charlie Langton (@charlielangton) March 4, 2014

Regnerus has no opinion if it's better for children to be in the foster care system or with a same sex couple.
— Charlie Langton (@charlielangton) March 4, 2014

According to ex-Politico senior writer, Steve Friess, the attorney for the couple suing Michigan, ACLU attorney Leslie Cooper, attempted to make the case that Regnerus' study was an attempt to influence the Supreme Court's DOMA decision:

Atty reads Rengerus email from 9/2010 asking "what [Witherspoon folks and Maggie Gallagher" expect" from the research. #gaymarriage
— Steve Friess (@SteveFriess) March 4, 2014

Witherspoon guy's email tells Regnerus that he wants study results before a major SCOTUS case on #gaymarriage.
— Steve Friess (@SteveFriess) March 4, 2014

The following tweet forwarded by Friess was from reporter Amy Lange, who was receiving much praise for her live tweeting of Regnerus' testimony:

Atty references email from Luis Tellez of Witherspoon Sept 22, 2010. "Move on it - don't dilly dally..."
— Amy Lange (@langeamyFOX2) March 4, 2014

So how did Regnerus do? We will see via the judge's decision. However, Dan Savage tweeted the following:

.@UTAustin anti-gay scholar-for-hire Mark Regnerus being destroyed under cross-examination in Michigan. @SteveFriess is live-tweeting it.
— Dan Savage (@fakedansavage) March 4, 2014

And Friess tweeted his encounter with Regnerus while he was leaving the courtroom:

Caught Regnerus leaving courtroom. Seemed rattled. Asked how he felt, he said, "Relieved." Were you nervous? "No comment." Walked away.
— Steve Friess (@SteveFriess) March 4, 2014