Fox News' resident anti-LGBT pop-psychologist Dr. Keith Ablow published a column on Tuesday defending a flawed new study that found that children raised by married, heterosexual parents are better off than children raised by a variety of families that include a gay parent. Praising the study for its objectivity and scientific rigor, Ablow wrote:

The “no differences” theory that children of gay parents -- married or not -- do not substantially differ from the children of married, heterosexual parents has now been called into question.

In reality, the study -- authored by associate sociology professor Mark Regnerus -- has already come under widespread criticism for its misleading comparisons, arbitrary population samples, and generally abysmal methodology. Regnerus himself has spent a good chunk of this week attempting to explain away his study's glaring shortcomings. And he even admitted that none of his data can actually be used to make a judgment about whether same-sex parents are better or worse than heterosexual parents.

Despite the study's obvious shortcomings -- and the fact that it's already being misused by anti-gay groups -- Ablow warned against “silencing such research,” adding that he refused to be “bullied” out of searching for the “truth” about how LGBT parents affect children:

What we should avoid at all costs is silencing such research and such discussion because it is seen by some as politically incorrect. Where optimizing the well-being of children is involved, no stone should be left unturned.

[...]

In this regard, I should note something important: I hesitated to write about this topic in an opinion piece. I didn't hesitate because I think the topic frivolous. […] I hesitated because I worried about getting more of the threats and hate mail (by post and e-mail) I receive whenever I even mention the seemingly unspeakable issue of how social forces related to sexual orientation and gender identity might impact well being in children.

Yet, yielding to that worry would mean that being bullied way back when I was a school kid might have left me timid, and I just can't abide that. When I see a path of enquiry that might yield some bit of truth, I want to try to be the person who takes it, no matter how treacherous. And, so, it is with this commentary, now in your good hands, to take or leave, to debate, to discuss—as Tennyson wrote, “to strive, to seek, to find...”

Two things to note about Ablow's self-victimizing screed:

1. Ablow hasn't been “bullied” for being “politically incorrect” – he's been criticized because he repeatedly peddles bigoted and widely discredited pseudoscience about sexual orientation and gender identity on national television.

2. Just last month, Ablow inaccurately stated that "we don't know the psychological impact" of same-sex parenting, adding “we need the data. We really do.” At the time, he casually ignored the mountain of credible, scientific evidence that demonstrates same-sex couples can raise children just as effectively as heterosexual couples.

If Ablow was actually interested in finding the “truth” instead of disguising his own anti-LGBT bias as 'medical expertise,' he'd probably experience a lot less 'bullying' from the medical community and LGBT advocates. And he might bother mentioning the same-sex parenting research that doesn't line up with his anti-gay bias, too.