Family Research Council reports that states with same-sex marriage have stronger families!

Tony Perkins is the head of the Family Research Council, a certified anti-gay hate group whose clear mission is the destruction of civil rights for LGBT people. The Family Research Council also has its own “think tank,” the Marriage and Religion Research Institute (MARRI), which “examines the relationships among family, marriage, religion, community, and America’s social problems, as illustrated in the social science data.”

Perkins yesterday touted the release of his think tank’s ”4th Annual Index of Family Belonging.”

He writes that his “Index, which is derived from our analysis of Census Bureau data, looks at 15- to 17- year olds in the U.S. The research proves what we all know in our hearts: When couples are united, children thrive. The child is as strong as the relationship between his mother and father or as conflicted as the relationship between them is conflicted.”

And he was forced to admit, “Regionally, the Northeast (50%) has the highest Family Belonging Index and the South (42%) has the lowest, with the following in between: Midwest: 48% and the West: 47%.”

Every state in the Northeast, sans Pennsylvania, has extended marriage to same-sex couples.

Oops.

So, clearly, states that have extended marriage to same-sex couples have — at least using Perkins’ formula and definition — stronger families.

Oops.

Using Perkins’ research, you can see that overall across all U.S. states, the numbers range from Utah at 57 to Washington, D.C., an anomaly, at 17.

Digging a bit deeper, here’s a list of all the states across the U.S. that have same-sex marriage, and Tony Perkins’ “Family Belonging Index” number. Remember, the higher the number, the stronger the family — at least according to Perkins:

California: 47

Connecticut: 51

Delaware: 42

Hawaii: 50

Illinois: 49

Iowa: 51

Maine: 45

Maryland: 46

Massachusetts: 52

Minnesota: 56

New Hampshire: 53

New Jersey: 54

New Mexico: 39

New York: 48

Rhode Island: 44

Vermont: 49

Washington: 48

Washington, D.C.: 17

So, when will Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council admit that states that extend marriage to same-sex couple actually foster and support stronger families? His own research certainly seems to say so.

Don't hold your breath ... except to avoid the smell of irrational fear and hate.