Ben Carson Apologizes For Saying ‘Prison Proves Being Gay Is A Choice,’ And Says He Will Not Talk About Gay Marriage Any More

Dr. Ben Carson apologized Wednesday via Facebook for stating that “prison proves being gay is a choice” during an interview with CNN, according to the Huffington Post.

His Facebook post stated as follows.

“I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended.”

After Ben Carson apologized for the remarks about homosexuals, he continued with the following statement.

“I am not a politician and I answered a question without really thinking about it thoroughly. No excuses. I deeply regret my statement and I promise you, on this journey, I may err again, but unlike politicians when I make an error I will take full responsibility and never hide or parse words.”

The 63-year-old retired neurosurgeon and potential 2016 GOP candidate had plenty to saying during his interview with Chris Cuomo about the gay community, claiming that “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.”

Although Ben Carson has apologized to the public for his offensive remarks about homosexuals, he was still asked to explain his statement during a later interview on Sean Hannity’s radio show, and Carson responded with the following.

“First of all, it was a 25-minute interview. They chopped—and you see what part they emphasized. We talked about some really important things. None of that was brought out. But I did learn something very important: for certain networks, never do a pre-taped interview. Always do it live.

Here’s the point: I believe in traditional marriage between a man and a woman. I also believe that our Constitution protects everybody regardless of their beliefs, and that includes people who are gay… I have no problem with them doing whatever they want to do. I’m just not willing to change that position on marriage for anybody, because once you do that, you have to change it for everybody else who comes along. And why would we want to do that? We have something that’s worked just fine for thousands of years to create a nurturing environment for raising children, and I think that’s where we ought to leave it.”

In 2013, Ben Carson did an interview with Fox News where he discussed gay marriage. He claimed that “gay marriage would pave the way for legal bestiality and pedophilia.” Since then, Ben Carson has apologized for those remarks and has opted not to speak about gay marriage any more.

“I simply have decided I’m not going to really talk about that issue anymore because every time I’m gaining momentum, the political press says, ‘Let’s talk about gay rights.’ And I’m just not going to fall for that anymore,” says Carson.

The vice president of communications released a statement about the gay remarks Ben Carson has made in the public eye. He stated as follows.

“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. 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.”

Ben Carson continues to make remarks about homosexuals and later apologize for them. Do you think his last apology will be his last? Or will he make yet another offensive remark and have to later give a public apology?

[Image courtesy of Richard Ellis/Getty Images]