Ben Carson is an accomplished neurosurgeon, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and also a front running candidate in the upcoming 2016 election.
While many are impressed with Carson’s accomplishments, Carson received scrutiny for his recent comments regarding homosexuality and people’s preferred sexual orientation.
Carson stated, “A lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay. So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question.”
Carson received a lot criticism, especially because his statements came two days after he solidified his place as a major Republican candidate by filing the paperwork necessary to create a Presidential exploratory committee.
Many were upset because it’s as if he were implying that homosexuality and being gay is a choice because of circumstance and a person’s surroundings and environment.
The comments started when Carson was on CNN’s, “New Day,” where host Chris Cuomo asked Carson if being gay is a choice and Carson answered “absolutely.”
Carson then wanted to take his remarks back in an attempt to clear his name from any type of ignorance that people are accusing him of. Carson went on to state, “Why do gay people want to get married? Why do they say they want to get married? Because they want to have various rights property rights, visitation rights. Why can’t any two human beings, I don’t care what their sexual orientation is, why can’t they have the legal right to do those things? That does not require changing the definition of marriage.”
Carson does agree that gay marriage approval should be established within the states instead of the federal court systems.
He still expresses that he is unsure whether or not people are born gay, but has apologized for his statements. He went on to say that the argument is out there amongst professionals and that, “Some of our brightest minds have looked at this debate, and up until this point there have been no definitive studies that people are born into a specific sexuality.”
Photo By: Mike Theiler
