J.HopkingsU.Neurosurgeon Used Ill-Informed Rancid Shocking Language Describing Marriage Equality

  by Shawn Shaligram

SOURCE: Flickr/espoac

Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Ben Carson came onto the National political stage after he spoke at President Obama's (Prayer) Breakfast Club. In this image he is explaing that when he opens someone's skull all he sees is the grey matter, not who or what they are

Most people haven't heard of Dr. Benjamin Carson. That's changing very quickly. Following the controversial, anti-gay comments the neurosurgeon made in his 

latest Fox News appearance, Carson appeared on MSNBC today in an attempt

 to diffuse the backlash. 

On Tuesday, Carson told Sean Hannity that gay couples are essentially the 

same as pedophiles and people who advocate bestiality. Watch his interview

 with Andrea Mitchell below:

For most of his career, he's worked as a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital,

 but he has quickly become a conservative star in the last two months and his 

comments Tuesday are likely to win him even more fans on the far right:

"Marriage is between a man and a woman. No group, be they gays, be they 

NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality, it doesn't matter what

 they are. They don't get to change the definition."



Dr. Carson is not the only conservative to voice opposition to marriage equality, 

but the language and comparisons he used were offensive and shocking. His comments were condemned as "nasty," "petty," "ill-informed," "rancid" and 

"reactionary" by Professor Todd Shepard, the co-director of the John Hopkins

 Sexuality Studies Program.

Carson’s statements also puts him at odds with both the American Medical Association’s code of conduct and the American Psychiatric Association’s 

Diagnostic Statistical Manual which contain strong and unambiguous language

 on homosexuality as neither a medical nor psychological condition but rather a perfectly healthy and biologically-rooted lifestyle.

In a response to these statements, a group of students at the Johns Hopkins School

 of Medicine are calling for the replacement of Dr. Ben Carson as commencement speaker for the class of 2013. In his MSNBC appearance today, Dr. Carson

 indicated he may withdraw as commencement speaker. 

Dr. Carson's growing status as conservative sensation began with his speech

 at the National Prayer Breakfast in February criticizing President Obama’s agenda 

and his bashing of progressivism at CPAC earlier this month. 

Speculation on whether he'd run for office in 2016 has even begun to precipitate. 

But if that happens, these comments could come back to haunt him. Young voters, 

an increasingly important part of the electorate, are strong supporters of LGBT 

equality and Dr. Carson's animosity toward the gay community will not win him 

any support with them.

UPDATE: A spokesperson for Johns Hopkins University told Talking Points Memo 

that the school is not backing down from its choice to invite Dr. Carson as commencement speaker for its medical school's May graduation. A petition to 

replace Dr. Carson is being circulated by some students.

Shawn Shaligram is an Online Communications Intern with Campus Progress. You can follow

 him on Twitter at @shatelegram
.