GOP Pres.Candidate Ben Carson: “a lot of people who go to prison straight, when they come out r gay“
Gay rights supporters Wednesday blasted potential Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s assertion that prison proves that homosexuality is a matter of choice.
Carson, during an interview Wednesday on CNN’s ‘New Day,’ said ‘absolutely’ that being gay is a choice and noted that ‘a lot of people who go into prison straight, and when they come out, they’re gay.’
‘So did something happen while they were in there?’ asked Carson, a retired neurosurgeon. ‘Ask yourself that question.’
Gregory Angelo, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, said that Carson, based on his choice theory, ‘is a felony conviction away from being gay.’
‘Here we are in 2015, and the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have come to the conclusion that sexuality is not a choice,’ Angelo said. ‘Someone with the word ‘doctor’ in front of their name should know better.’
Angelo added that Carson’s comments on homosexuality could drown out the populist, self-help message that Carson is trying to convey as he mulls a White House run. He formed a presidential exploratory committee on Monday.
Carson’s camp didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Wednesday.
The Human Rights Campaign responded to Carson’s comments in an email statement with the headline ‘When did Ben Carson Choose to be Straight?’
‘The only thing that’s really been proven here is that when Ben Carson says what he really thinks, he reveals himself as utterly unfit for office,’ said Fred Sainz, the Human Rights Campaign’s vice president of communications. ‘Ben Carson is putting his own personal ambition ahead of medical science by suggesting that a person can change their sexual orientation. As a doctor, Carson surely knows that countless mental health and medical organizations have condemned the idea that you can change a person’s sexual orientation.’
Email: wdouglas@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @williamgdouglas.
After 500 comments about his prison-sex theory of orientation, I figured you’d be interested in an update. Having taken a ferocious beating in the media for the better part of a day, Carson finally says no mas:
(ALLAHPUNDIT, hotair.com)
“I also believe that our Constitution protects everybody, regardless of their beliefs, and that includes people who are gay,” Mr. Carson continued. “I have no problem with them doing whatever they want to do. I’m just not willing to change the definition of marriage for anybody, because once you do that, you have to change it for everyone else who comes along. Why would we want to do that? We have something that’s worked for thousands of years to create a nurturing environment for raising children. And I think that’s where we ought to leave it.”He added: “I simply have decided I’m not going to really talk about that issue anymore, because every time I gain momentum, the liberal press says, ‘let’s talk about gay rights.’ I’m just not going to fall for that anymore.”
Okay, but that’s like Jeb Bush deciding he’s not going to talk about amnesty anymore. It’s one of his pet issues. He’s beloved by his supporters because of his opinion on that particular topic. Ben Carson muting his social conservatism on the most hot-button social issue of the day makes him Mike Huckabee minus the boldness (and executive experience), a major flaw for a guy running as an “outsider.” If you like Carson, chances are you like him precisely because he’s not a politician and therefore more likely to speak candidly about his opinions when asked. He’s the one you turn to for Common Sense that cuts through political niceties. What’s the point of passing on Ted Cruz or Huckabee and rolling the dice on Carson if his attitude towards plainspoken debate with the media on gay marriage going forward is “yeah, pass”?
Say this for him, though: He’s going to end up making a lot of consultants very, very rich. Not Bush-level rich, but still.
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