Being gay is a choice, because "a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight" leave gay, neurosurgeon-turned-conservative activist Ben Carson asserted this morning.
Appearing on CNN's "New Day," the potential GOP presidential candidate told host Chris Cuomo that the fight for marriage equality bore no resemblance to the civil rights struggle in part because people have "no control" of their race. That prompted Cuomo to ask whether Carson believed homosexuality is a choice.
"Absolutely," Carson replied. "Because 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," he added.
Cuomo pushed back against Carson's assertion, but Carson maintained that his example "thwarts" the idea that being gay isn't a choice.
Carson -- who announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee this week -- has long inveighed against gay rights, comparing homosexuality to murder, pedophilia, and bestiality.
The renowned neurosurgeon's latest remarks are the latest to put him at odds with the scientific consensus. A creationist, Carson suggested on "Meet the Press" this Sunday that scientific notions like evolution may be "just propaganda."
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